


Forgotten Hero

by punkish_furball



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Multi, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-19
Updated: 2015-03-12
Packaged: 2017-12-20 18:50:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 43,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/890636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punkish_furball/pseuds/punkish_furball
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A hero is a figure endowed with strength, courage, and the drive to do what's just. One who is loved by all and feared by even more. But can a forgotten hero whose purpose was buried in the depths of the time hope to stand with those who are still trying to find theirs when she insists on keeping her past a secret? (originally posted to FF.net on 09.20.2012)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer for this story: Young Justice is property of Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti and InuYasha is property of Rumiko Takahashi. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author, punkish furball. The author, punkish furball, is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. The author, punkish furball, makes no profit from this fanfiction. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> punkish_furball – Hello, all! XD
> 
> Words to Ponder:
> 
> This is my Young Justice/InuYasha crossover! XD This takes place after Artemis joins the Team and before Zatanna and Rocket do. I hope you enjoy it; it was really fun to write about all the members of team. Aqualad, Robin, and Kid Flash are my favs!
> 
> As for the timeline, the events begin in the same year that the team was started, 2010. However, the formation of the team has been pushed earlier in the year before their official formation on July 4th. InuYasha's timeline has also been adjusted to fit within this timeline. Otherwise, Kagome would be in her twenties.
> 
> As always feel free to send me your comments and questions. I'm really interested in knowing if I write everyone in character especially characters from Young Justice.

**Prologue**

_**Thursday, May 27, 2010** _

Kagome Higurashi has known Shippo for a very, very long time. Over the years they shared, they grew very close to the point where they could anticipate each other's movements and even each other's thoughts. Even so, Kagome was unexpectedly stunned when Shippo voiced his inner musings while he walked her home from school.

"Why don't superheroes kill their enemies?" Shippo asked without pausing his stride.

"Excuse me?" Kagome remarked, owlishly blinking. She wasn't sure if he was being serious or not.

"You know," Shippo elaborated, "Why don't Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and all other those Justice League guys just off the Joker or whatever nemesis they have and be done with it?"

Kagome shrugged and tightened the grip on her backpack's straps. "…to keep themselves in business?"

Shippo turned to her and frowned, obviously displeased with her reasoning.

"Don't you think it would be a more profitable business venture for superheroes to invest in revenge?"

'…he is being serious,' Kagome thought, suppressing a sigh.

"They already invest in revenge," she stated blandly, "After the good guys put the bad guys in jail, the bad guys break out and start plotting their revenge on them. Then the good guys catch the bad guys again, and the whole thing starts over. It's an endless cycle of vengeance."

"I'm not referring to that sort of revenge," Shippo clarified with a scoff, "I mean, fighting the same guy over and over for the rest of your superhero career? No matter how many tricks and traps and world domination schemes he comes up with that gets boring fast, Kaa-san."

Kagome rolled her eyes; Shippo was far too invested in this topic. The concept of a "superhero" began in America and spread to the rest of the world. Subsequently, the "supervillain" followed. Kagome didn't have an interest in them, but, apparently, Shippo did. She blamed it on the  _kitsune's_  innate curiosity.

"Consider this," he told her, "Big super bad guy gets killed by big super good dude once and for all. Naturally, after an intense and all inclusive investigation on his demise, it gets reported to the public that big super bad guy was actually everyday Joe Blo from down the street. Poor dead Joe's family, friends, coworkers, old classmates, regular barber, distant admirers, and fanatic followers all see that broadcast and bam!" Shippo loudly clapped his hands to emphasis the strength of his notion.

"Now big super good dude has the opportunity to capitalize on what could potentially be generations upon generations of steady crime fighting action with multiple big super bad guys!"

"I don't think a supervillain's relationships would be based on that type of pack mentality," Kagome countered, "Besides, if all those people decide to avenge his death, what happens when it becomes too much for the superhero to handle?"

Great, now she was being serious.

"That's why most heroes have sidekicks!" Shippo exclaimed with a cheeky grin.

"Sidekicks?" Kagome repeated unsurely.

Shippo nodded rapidly. "A protégé for them to mentor and teach all their secrets. The Robin to every Batman, the Aqualad to every Aquaman, the Speedy to every Green Arrow, the…small Flash to every…bigger Flash…?"

"The Shippo to every InuYasha," Kagome added with a wistful smile. Shippo pouted and looped his arm around the miko's shoulder, pulling her tightly to his side.

"I'd much rather be remembered as your sidekick," he told her, his tone both affectionate and reverent, "You're just as much of a hero as he is."

"Really, Shippo? I'm no hero," Kagome quietly remarked, pointing her gaze to her feet.

Shippo sighed and raked his fingers through his short auburn hair without relinquishing his hold on the young miko. Such disheartening comments from Kagome were commonplace nowadays, and there wasn't much he or anyone else could do about it.

The two continued walking to Kagome's new home in silence. She and her younger brother, Sota, now lived with Sesshomaru as his wards in the city of Shizuoka. When Kagome returned to her era after the end of the final battle with the hellish spider construct, Naraku, Sesshomaru approached her and her family under his modern era persona, a powerful businessman and entrepreneur with the same god-like beauty veiled with dull topaz eyes and short raven hair.

Throughout Kagome's travels in the past, she and the  _daiyōkai_  grew close, much closer than she ever expected. Sesshomaru and his small entourage began traveling with her companions as Naraku's demise drew closer. When InuYasha wasn't constantly trying to instigate a fight with him, Sesshomaru silently regarded each member of the group, tolerating their presence and nothing more.

One night, Kagome boldly approached the silent demon and tried to speak with him. He did and said nothing but allowed her to stay by his side. Of course, he quickly learned that ignoring Kagome was not an option, and his curiosity couldn't help but be aroused by her presence. It wasn't long before Kagome's one-sided conversations evolved into a bonding ritual between both parties. Sesshomaru grew to respect Kagome, and she reciprocated those feelings tenfold. With all the chaotic events she experienced during her travels, Kagome eagerly welcomed her new calm, quiet companion.

Because of the close kinship they developed, Sesshomaru arrived to her shrine with a proposition. He offered her a new home and a place in his pack under his protection. Kagome—and the rest of her family—were stunned. She briefly spoke of her fears of the future with him before, but she never thought Sesshomaru would take such drastic measures to ease her worries.

After much debate, Kagome agreed to the move. Her mother and grandfather were sad to see her go but knew there wasn't anything left for their precious girl in Tokyo. A place to start afresh was exactly what she needed to move on.

The only opposition came from Kagome's younger brother. Sota stood firm in the face of the powerful  _yōkai_ , not wanting to be left behind for a second time. The boy gave Sesshomaru an ultimatum: allow him to go with Kagome or be prepared for him to do so by force. Intrigued and amused by Sota's bravado, Sesshomaru extended an invitation to him as well.

Sesshomaru wasn't the only one from Kagome's past that she had constant encounters with. Jaken, who continued to faithfully serve his lord without fail, worked as Kagome and Sota's main caretaker much to his chagrin. Of course, he'd never admit how fond he was of the two Higurashi siblings out loud.

Rin, Sesshomaru's former charge, married and mated Shippo, and both visited the manor often, staying for days at a time. Their children were grown with families of their own, and they didn't foresee having more for some time. Both Shippo and Rin felt entitled to spend as much time as they could with their adoptive parents. Kagome knew that Sesshomaru encouraged this behavior and shamelessly spoiled them over the centuries no matter how much he tried to deny it.

When Kagome and Shippo reached the house, Sesshomaru met them at the door.

"Hello, Sesshomaru," Kagome greeted him warmly.

He nodded in response and surveyed her form, checking for anything that was amiss. Kagome fought the urge to giggle; Sesshomaru was as protective as he was indulgent.

"How was school?" he asked once his assessment was done.

Kagome shrugged. "Alright. I'm still getting used to it."

"It's been three months, has it not?" Sesshomaru questioned, "Surely you must be adjusted by now." He suspiciously narrowed his eyes.

"Are you being treated fairly by your peers and instructors?"

"It's nothing like that," she insisted, "Everything is fine. I just need a little more time to get accustomed to things."

"So what's up, chief?" Shippo asked as he put both his hands on the back of his head, "You usually don't meet us at the door."

"A business partner of mine is travelling to Japan within the next few days," Sesshomaru stated.

"Who?" Shippo asked.

"Wayne Bruce-san, owner of Wayne Enterprises," he answered.

Shippo whistled long and low at that name.

"I take it this guy's a pretty big deal," Kagome commented.

With the type of business ventures Sesshomaru and Shippo regularly took on, it was rare they were impressed with anyone especially if they were human.

"Definitely," Shippo remarked, "Wayne has some pretty impressive stats."

"What does that have to do with us?" Kagome asked Sesshomaru.

"Wayne-san's ward and his friends are accompanying him on this trip. They need to be entertained while he attends to business with Shippo and myself," Sesshomaru expounded.

Kagome quietly groaned and rolled her eyes. "So entertaining them is my job, right?"

"It was his suggestion not mine," Sesshomaru remarked, "They are close to your age; add them to your collection if you wish."

Kagome snorted and bypassed the imposing demon to head upstairs to her room.

"I make friends. I do not collect people," she said over her shoulder with a slight huff. Shippo chuckled and quickly followed behind Kagome leaving Sesshomaru behind.

"He does have a point," he commented as he shadowed the priestess, "Your friends aren't exactly normal. They're part of a pretty impressive collection if you ask me."

"Especially since I count you among them," she said with a snicker.

"Hey!" Shippo protested and draped himself over Kagome's back, "I'm your son not a friend! I'm far too special to be counted with everyone else."

"Of course you are, my silly little kit," she agreed and reached up to gently ruffle his hair.

Shippo purred and nuzzled into her neck. She rolled her eyes but continued coddling him. When they reached the door to her bedroom, Shippo pulled away and opened the door, allowing Kagome to walk in first.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Shippo asked, leaning against the door frame when Kagome took a seat at her desk and set down her backpack.

"I have a research paper due in a few weeks and some studying to do," she answered, "And I'm need to take a break to pick up Sota from practice in an hour or two."

"Sounds like you have a lot on your plate. You want me to pick him up for you?"

"Nope. I can handle it," Kagome replied without looking his way. She pulled out one of her textbooks and her notebook from her bag, opening each to the desired page. After that, she retrieved some colored pens and highlighters from her desk drawer.

Shippo shrugged his shoulders before sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Are you gonna walk or let Jaken drive you for a change?" he asked, hoping but not expecting for it to be the latter.

"I'll walk," Kagome replied, highlighting a section of her notes, "Jaken-san doesn't have to go out of his way for that." She giggled as she turned the page of her notebook.

"Besides, he'll just complain about it the whole time."

Shippo sighed. "In that case, be back before dinner or Rin will have a fit."

"I promise Sota and I will be back before then. I wouldn't want to put you in the doghouse because we came home late," Kagome stated and shot the kit a playful look, "Now let me do my homework in peace."

Shippo grinned before standing up straight and giving his adoptive mother a grand, theatric bow. "Certainly, Kaa-san!"

Kagome rolled her eyes and returned to her studies after he left her room, closing the door behind him. Shippo walked down the hallway, into a separate wing of the large manor, and joined Sesshomaru in his study. He was seated at his desk typing away at his laptop.

"Yes, kit?" Sesshomaru acknowledged him without looking away from his computer screen.

Shippo pouted as he took a seat in front of Sesshomaru's desk. First Kagome, now him. Was he not worth being looked at while being talked to anymore?

"Are you sure you're doing the right thing?" Shippo asked, expecting the dog to know exactly what he was referring to.

Sesshomaru paused and looked at Shippo, lifting one of his slender eyebrows. "Are you not involved in this decision as well?"

"Depends on the outcome," Shippo remarked with a smirk.

"The final decision is hers to make," Sesshomaru said, "It is my duty as pack leader to ensure all of her needs are taken care of, and that she knows all of her available options."

Shippo leaned back in the chair, stretching his long legs out in front of him. "If you say so. I'm sure they'll be pretty persuasive once they learn what she's capable of."

"No one will sway her decision for their own benefit," Sesshomaru stated firmly; this provision in the agreement was absolute.

"The proper outcome will be for Kagome's wellbeing and her wellbeing alone."

"And screw everyone else in the process?" Shippo commented with a devious grin.

A small smirk snaked its way on Sesshomaru's face before he went back to his work.

"Precisely."

-O0o0O-

"What did you want to see me about?" Aqualad asked as he calmly looked up to the notorious Dark Knight.

Earlier, Batman visited the Cave and requested to speak with him in private after he delivered his customary mission reports to the rest of the Team. As team leader, Aqualad frequently had one-on-ones with him; they were usually reports on the team's performance and the like. He had a feeling this was not the case now.

"We have located a potential new member to add to the Team," Batman stated, maintaining his stoicism.

Aqualad didn't seem too surprised. There were many other young heroes—or sidekicks as they were commonly called—who were trained under members of the Justice League. It seemed natural that these young heroes and heroines would work with or join the Team at one point or another.

"Who is this new recruit?" Aqualad inquired.

Batman answered by handing him surprisingly thin folder. Batman was always efficient in obtaining the most obscure facts and information, and it was odd that he'd present him with such a meager amount of data.

'Interesting,' Aqualad thought before he opened the file and browsed its contents.

What immediately caught his attention was a short list of details provided next to the photo of a raven-haired, blue-eyed young Japanese woman named Kagome Higurashi. She was seventeen years of age and the oldest ward of Sesshomaru Toboso, owner and CEO of Toyo Corporation. She currently resided in Shizuoka, the capital city of the Japanese prefecture of the same name, in the Chūbu region of Honshu.

Underneath these printed lines was an array of photos. Listed next to each image was the relation of the individual to Kagome along with any other identifying information. Aqualad quickly flipped through the pages, scanning each one carefully. There was considerably more information on Kagome's mother, grandfather, younger brother, and late father than the girl herself. However, there was only a name and occupation listed next to her current guardian, his daughter and her husband, Rin and Shippo Yoshikuni, and various other individuals that regularly associated with the Toboso family.

Aqualad returned to Kagome's image on the first page of the file, scrutinizing her bright azure eyes and charming smile. All in all, Kagome Higurashi seemed like an attractive yet unremarkably ordinary girl.

'Could she truly be a hero?' he thought, perplexed.

"There is no information on her abilities, powers, or experience," Aqualad commented after he closed the file.

"This is all I can supply you with," Batman remarked, "Our recruit's guardian is very thorough at keeping her information low key."

Aqualad was instantly intrigued; there must be more to Toboso than meets the eye if he managed to keep the Dark Knight at bay.

"I see," he replied, "What is the next course of action?"

"As team leader, overseeing and improving team dynamics and operations fall under your responsibilities," Batman briefly explained, "Because we have no information regarding the merits of this potential member, it is your duty to see if she is suitable for this team."

"I understand. How shall I proceed?"

As always, Aqualad expected the mission to be covert and employ undercover tactics. Once again, Batman surprised him.

"You, Robin, and Kid Flash will accompany me to Shizuoka. The recruit's guardian arranged for you three to have the opportunity to observe her in person. You are not to reveal yourselves to her under any circumstances until she is deemed suitable for this team."

"Why doesn't her guardian tell us what we need to know?" Aqualad couldn't stop himself from asking.

It was clear Toboso had a hand in the League's consideration of his ward as a possible recruit. If he was willing to go that far for her, he should have been more forthcoming with the information they needed.

"That's just how Toboso operates."

Aqualad turned and saw Robin and Kid Flash enter the room to join him and Batman, each wearing wide grins.

"Looks like you got briefed on our new mission," Robin quipped, "It'll be just the three of us this time. Like when we started out, right?"

Aqualad grinned as he remembered that fateful day. "I suppose."

"Don't be so serious!" Kid Flash exclaimed, casually slinging his arm over Aqualad's shoulders, "We're going to a foreign country in the next few days; think of it as a vacation!"

"Plus, Bats trusts you with our secret IDs," Robin commented with a wide grin.

"Your secret identities?" Aqualad repeated in awe.

"Yep," Robin replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "It was originally supposed to be me and Kid Flash on this mission, but Batman decided we'd need your skills too." He comradely nudged Aqualad with his elbow.

"You're lucky enough to see what's under the mask!"

Aqualad looked to Batman, and he nodded once at the Atlantean teen. Aqualad fought the urge to grin widely. To be trusted with this information meant Batman recognized his growth as a hero and deemed him worthy of such knowledge. He truly felt honored.

"Be fully prepared to leave in the next five days," Batman instructed the excited trio, "You may discuss this mission with Superboy, Miss Martian, Artemis, and other League members, but be discreet. Do not mention the names of the recruit or any of her relations. You are also not to reveal our exact location." His lips tightened to a thin line.

"Under no circumstance is there will be any communication to the remainder of the Team or the League while we are deployed."

The trio of young heroes nodded, eager to get this mission underway.

"Understood."

-O0o0O-

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> punkish_furball – I hope you enjoyed that! It was on the short side as prologues are prone to be, but the next chapter is much longer. As always, contact me for your comments, questions, and words of wisdom about this story and any others. Until next time, TCB! (≧∇≦)
> 
> (revised 07.19.2013)


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> punkish_furball – Hello, all! XD
> 
> Words to Ponder:
> 
> Thank you for reviewing from F F .net: Ukitakes luver, HalfBlackWolfDemon, darkangel0212, Suzume Batchii Taichi, inuluvskags1, sirensoundwave, Dark Inu Fan, leslie2132, nakomi, kitsune-miko-witch, AnimeMoonlightGoddess, Jessica, TsukiyoTenshi, Esme M. Gray, Lilac Wolf, Applejax XD, Mistress Belfray, XxHisLilLoverGirlxX, and Miko-Of-The-Cherry-Blossoms! ^.^
> 
> Once again, I ask for feedback on my portrayal of the Young Justice characters. Hopefully, I'll do a good job of that in this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it!

**Chapter 1**

_**Wednesday, June 2, 2010** _

Aqualad quietly looked out the window of the private aircraft owned by Gotham City native and very successful entrepreneur, Bruce Wayne. He still couldn't believe that the affluent businessman and the notorious Batman were one and the same, but he heard it straight from the man himself along with Robin's true identity. Of course, his fellow teammate still wore sunglasses at all times in place of his mask, a longtime habit.

"So do you think she'll be hot?" Kid Flash asked from his seat across, "I hope she's hot."

Robin sighed exasperatedly. "You saw the picture of her, right? Shouldn't that be enough proof for you?"

"That was just a school picture," Kid Flash explained, sounding completely serious, "No one ever looks the way they really do in school pictures. The only way to find out if she's really hot is to meet the real deal in person."

"Miss Higurashi's appearance isn't important," Aqualad stated matter-of-factly, "Her skills and abilities will secure her place on the Team."

"A typical leader answer," Kid Flash commented with a dejected sigh, "but I guess that's way we had to bring you along."

"He does have a point," Robin added with a cheeky grin, "Besides, have you ever seen an ugly super heroine?"

"Too true, my friend," Kid Flash replied, wearing a pleased and dreamy expression, "Too true."

The ginger sighed happily as he envisioned all the beautiful female heroes he'd met through his connections to the Justice League. Aqualad shook his head at him before turning to Batman.

"We're almost there, aren't we?" Aqualad asked, "What are our plans after we land?"

Batman took a small sip of wine before answering.

"We'll be taken to our accommodations land and settle in for the night. Tomorrow, you and I will meet with Toboso. While he and I conduct business, Kagome will escort you around Shizuoka." He paused to take another sip.

"Use that opportunity to observe her and note any characteristics or mannerisms that catch your attention. Be discreet and don't disclose any classified information, such as your true origins and identity, under any circumstances."

"Understood," Aqualad replied with a stiff nod.

"What about us?" Kid Flash asked, referring to himself and Robin.

"We hold back to do more background checks to see if we can break through Toboso's forces and find out any more information," Robin answered, "Strictly computer work."

"So we sit behind a monitor all day while Aqualad goes on a date with a potential Asian hottie?" Kid Flash exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air, "Where's the justice in that?"

Robin shrugged his shoulders. "I guess it's one of the perks of being the leader."

Aqualad sighed before turning back to the window, waiting for the aircraft to reach its destination and land. This was going to be a long mission.

-O0o0O-

Kagome quietly groaned as she sat at her desk with her elbows propped up and her head resting in her hands. As her teacher continued to lecture ahead of her, Kagome's mind drifted to more pressing matters she had to attend to.

Today, she'd have the chore of entertaining Bruce Wayne's young ward and his friends, and she was less than enthusiastic about it. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy meeting new people from time to time. She just preferred to do it because of mutual interest and not the advancement of Sesshomaru's business ventures.

'Maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way. Who knows?' Kagome reasoned tiredly, 'We could be friends.'

"Higurashi-chan!" a loud voice shrieked in her ear.

Kagome jumped up in her seat and turned to who addressed her. It was Hinako Harada, a sweet, energetic girl in her class that tried to befriend her on numerous occasions. Of course, she had an ulterior motive for doing so.

"What is it, Harada-san?" Kagome asked as politely as she could.

"Class just ended, you space cadet!" Hinako exclaimed with a slight giggle, "It's time for archery club practice to start."

Kagome uncharacteristically snorted. She could always count on Hinako to bring up the archery club whenever they spoke. When she first transferred to this school, Kagome found the archery club's practice field when she was familiarizing herself with the campus. All it took was one perfectly shot bulls-eye just as the club members began arriving for practice for the entire club to try coaxing her into joining the team. Kagome repeatedly rejected their offers; she only practiced archery when she had the urge. Her skill, though exceptional, brought up many unpleasant memories.

"I already told you I'm not joining the archery club," Kagome explained, "And I have to head home right after school today."

She stood and grabbed her school bag, walking toward the door. Before she could reach it, Hinako rushed to block Kagome's path, her head bowed and her hands tightly clasped together in front of her.

"Please!" Hinako beseeched, "The entire club knows how good you are, and we just need you to give the new recruits a few pointers. We have a competition this coming Monday, and they could really use the extra help while everyone else is getting ready. It'll only be for a few minutes. Please, Higurashi-chan?"

"Fine," Kagome relented with a sigh, "but only for a few minutes. I really do need to get home, and I'm still not joining the archery club."

"Thank you so much, Higurashi-chan!" Hinako said, eagerly grabbing Kagome's hand and pulling her out of the classroom, "You won't regret it!"

Kagome groaned as the cheerful girl dragged her to the archery practice field. When they arrived and saw the other members practicing, Kagome had to admit that the new club members needed all the help they could possibly get. She readily set to work, correcting their forms and stances before performing a few basic demonstrations of proper firing techniques. When she was finished, Hinako and the others thanked her repeatedly.

"Thanks for the help!" Hinako cried gratefully.

"No problem," Kagome replied and took a look at her wristwatch. Her eyes widened before she broke into a run without warning and left the archery club behind.

"Kagome-chan!" Hinako called after her, "You left your bag!"

"Just hold onto it for me!" she instructed, shouting over her shoulder, "I'll get it from you tomorrow!"

She was already half an hour late for her appointment at the manor, so there was no way she could go back for it. Other than her cellphone, she didn't leave anything too important behind. She could last more than a day without her mobile.

'If I sprint, I should be able to get there within twenty minutes or so,' she thought and picked up the pace, dodging other pedestrians along the way.

Kagome was panting and dripping with sweat by the time she reached the front door of the estate but made it in eighteen minutes.

"Well, that run was one for the record books," Kagome said jokingly to herself.

She took several deep breaths to calm her racing heart with her hand resting on the door handle. Before she could open the door, the knob turned beneath her fingertips, and it was roughly pulled open, causing her to step back.

"Honestly, you ungrateful girl!" Jaken cried indignantly. He didn't seem as intimidating as he hoped in his human disguise, a short balding man with a pale complexion and a sour disposition.

"What in the world were you thinking showing up here at su—"

Jaken squeaked when Kagome pushed pass him and headed for the stairs.

"Sorry, Jaken-san, but I don't have time for one of your lectures!" Kagome called out over her shoulder, "Tell Sesshomaru I'm here now, and I'll be with them in about twenty more minutes!"

Kagome didn't wait for a reply as she ran upstairs to her bedroom. Once inside, she quickly dashed into the adjoining bathroom. She turned on the water in the shower, tore off her clothes, and immediately hopped inside. Though she momentarily flinched at the water's cold temperature, Kagome quickly scrubbed herself clean.

"Nee-chan!" someone called outside the bathroom, rapidly knocking on the door.

"Rin?" Kagome answered as she turned off the tap, "Is that you?"

"Of course it is, silly!" she responded with a giggle, "I heard you were running late, so I thought you could use some help getting ready. I already picked out your outfit so finish up quickly."

"Thanks, Rin!"

Kagome stepped out of the shower and into her bedroom with towels wrapped around her head and torso. Rin giggled at her wet appearance.

"Have a seat so I can do your hair," she offered and stood in front of Kagome's vanity mirror with matching stool.

Kagome quickly dried off and changed into her underclothes before taking a seat on the stool. Rin immediately went to work on her hair, humming lightly as she hurriedly tamed the damp, tangled mane.

"Thanks, Rin," Kagome said, "You usually aren't so helpful with this type of thing."

"We might as well give those stuffy, old businessmen something to very special wait for," Rin replied, "Besides, the boy Wayne-san brought with him is really cute! I think he just might be your type."

"Rin!" Kagome exclaimed, glaring at the girl's reflection in the mirror, "Wayne-san's ward is fourteen years old! Do I look like a cougar-in-training to you?"

"Puh-lease!" Rin responded with a roll of her eyes, "There's only a three year age difference between you two. Shippo's nearly forty years my senior."

"I don't think our situations are quite that similar," Kagome commented dryly.

Rin thoughtfully pursed her lips together before shrugging her shoulders.

"Well I suppose, when you grow as old as we do, age doesn't really matter. Besides, Wayne-san didn't bring Grayson-san with him today; you'll be seeing him tomorrow. There's a different boy with him." She winked as a devious grin stretched across her face.

"An older boy."

"Rin!"

"I'm just making sure you keep your options open! We can't have you being single forever, now can we?" Rin remarked, "Besides, Shippo is dying for some younger siblings!"

"I'm not old enough for those things yet!" Kagome protested, her face steadily growing redder in mortification, "And Shippo is way too selfish to share me with a brother or sister. He hardly lets me see my own grandkits!"

"You do have a point," she replied, putting the finishing touches on Kagome's hair, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that we both want you to be happy."

Kagome smiled softly, her reflection looking much more forlorn than she intended.

"I am happy."

Rin said nothing more as she completed Kagome's hairstyle. When she pulled away, it was left in a simple yet elegant style. The top portion was bound behind her head with a jeweled hair clip, and the back was left flowing to the middle of her back.

"I'll leave the rest to you, Nee-chan!"

Kagome sighed as Rin left her room, giggling happily. No matter how old she was, Rin could always revert to the sweet little girl Kagome remembered from the Feudal Era in a heartbeat.

She shook her head and quickly slipped on the clothes Rin left: a clingy green dress that ended above her knees and a white sweater with three-quarter length sleeves. She hoped she looked presentable; there wasn't much time for her to look in the mirror. After grabbing her purse and slipping on a pair of white wedges, she ran to the drawing room where Sesshomaru usually entertained guests. When she reached it, she skidded to stop at the door.

"Don't bother knocking, Kagome," Sesshomaru said in English from inside, "We already know you're there, so just come in."

Kagome sighed opening the door and walking in. She immediately bowed her head and spoke an apology in English.

"I'm sorry for being so late," she amended sincerely, "I had an obligation with a club after school and lost track of time."

Kagome straightened up and fought the urge to wince when Sesshomaru briefly raised a slender eyebrow at her. He knew for a fact she was a loyal member of the "go home right after school" club.

"There's no need to apologize," an older man, obviously Bruce Wayne, stated wearing a slight smirk. Though he was an older gentleman, he was still very handsome.

"You never told me your ward was such a lovely young lady, Toboso-san," Wayne continued to say.

Sesshomaru shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose she has a certain charm."

"Well, now that Kagome-san is here, Kaldur has no reason to stay with us anymore."

On cue, the boy sitting next to Wayne in an adjacent armchair stood and walked up to Kagome. When he reached her, he politely offered his hand and a welcoming grin.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Higurashi," he said in a soothing, soft-spoken tenor, "My name is Kaldur'ahm. My friends call me Kaldur."

Kagome smiled and placed her hand in Kaldur's, lightly shaking it.

"Nice to meet you, Kaldur-kun. And please, Kagome is just fine."

"Alright, Kagome," Kaldur repeated.

Kagome quietly squeaked when Kaldur said her name without the honorific. She quickly decided that he didn't know the implications of saying it without one. She was glad Rin wasn't within earshot since she already added Kaldur to her potential partner list. She'd be ecstatic.

'But Rin was right,' Kagome mused as she let go of Kaldur's hand, 'He is very handsome.'

Kaldur was tall with a lean, muscular build, very pleasing to the eye. His crew cut blonde hair contrasted greatly against his smooth, brown skin. Her attention was immediately drawn to his eyes, a stunning shade of pale green, and his warm smile that highlighted his entire face.

"Let's get going," Kagome suggested, "I'm sure these businessmen can't wait to get back to work."

"Be safe, you two," Wayne said before he and Sesshomaru dismissed the two teens with a nod.

Kagome and Kaldur left the room and closed the door behind them. When they started heading for the front door, they were immediately met by Jaken.

"Come on," he squawked, causing the two to halt, "Unlike our most gracious lord, I won't tolerate you keeping me waiting."

"What are you talking about, Jaken-san?" Kagome asked.

"I'm your chauffeur for today as ordered by Sesshomaru-sama," he answered. He clearly was not happy with his appointed task.

"Fine," Kagome replied and turned to Kaldur with a discouraged expression.

"Looks like we have a chaperone for today," she informed him, jerking her thumb back at Jaken.

"Is that what he told you?" Kaldur asked, "I'm afraid I do not understand much Japanese." He looked away sheepishly.

"It's alright!" Kagome said, "As long as you're here, I'll be your personal translator."

"I would like that very much."

Kagome and Kaldur followed Jaken outside to a sleek black limo. They climbed into the back seat while he entered the vehicle on the driver's side. Once inside, Jaken immediately rolled up the tinted window separating the two sections of the car and began driving.

"So, Kaldur-kun," Kagome said, "how do you know Wayne-san and Grayson-san?"

"Mr. Wayne and my mentor, Arthur Curry, are good friends, so Richard and I met through them," Kaldur answered, "My mentor thought this trip would be a good opportunity for me, so I came along."

"Then I'll have to make sure it's really worth your while." Kagome looked pointedly at the barrier separating them from the front of the car.

"We'll start by ditching Jaken-san."

"Kagome, are you certain we should—"

"Come on, Kaldur-kun!" Kagome urged with her hand resting on the door handle, "Where's your sense of adventure? It'll be fun!"

When the car came to a complete stop, Kagome opened the car door and flew outside. Kaldur sighed before following after her and shutting the door behind him. The duo made their way to the sidewalk and began walking in the opposite direction Jaken continued to drive in.

"So what do you want to do now, Kaldur-kun?" Kagome asked.

"I'm not sure," he responded, "I have never been to Japan before, so I do not know what to expect. Do you have any ideas?"

"Well, I actually moved to Shizuoka a few months ago and haven't had much time to see the sights," she confessed, "Now that I think about I'm really not the best person to play tour guide. I just didn't want to be stuck with Jaken all day."

Kaldur smiled. "Then it shall be an adventure for the both of us."

"Alright!" Kagome shouted excitedly, "So how about we get some food first? Are you hungry?"

She blushed when her stomach let out a loud growl before Kaldur could speak.

"A bit," he said with slight chuckle, "Lead the way."

Kagome grabbed Kaldur's hand and led him to a restaurant that Shippo and Rin frequented when they went out. It was a small, hole-in-the-wall type of place with a reasonably priced menu and exceptionally good food.

"I've had take-out from this place before, and it's always delicious," Kagome explained, "I hope you like seafood! Shizuoka-shi's famous for it."

"It's among my favorites," Kaldur stated.

Kagome brought Kaldur into the restaurant, and they were quickly taken care of and seated in a small private setting with closing _shoji_  screens and a low sitting  _kotatsu_  table. The two sat next to each other while Kagome held up the menu, explaining all of the different entrées to Kaldur.

"Is there anything you like?" Kagome asked.

"Everything so sounds good. I cannot really make a decision," Kaldur replied, "Would you mind ordering for the both of us?"

"Of course not! I'll get a variety so we can share."

When the waiter appeared, Kagome ordered several items off the menu, making sure to get many different dishes for her and Kaldur to try. When their waiter reappeared with their order, he skillfully arranged everything on the table.

Kagome quickly snapped her chopsticks apart and waited for Kaldur to do the same.

"Since this is your first time trying Japanese cuisine, why don't you have the first pick?"

"Okay," Kaldur replied. He awkwardly positioned the wooden utensils in his hand, trying to maneuver them the best he could.

Kagome laughed softly. "You're holding your chopsticks wrong."

"Oh, sorry," he amended and tried to correct himself.

"Here, let me help you."

Kagome reached over and maneuvered the chopsticks in Kaldur's hands until he held them properly.

"Thank you," he stated before reaching forward, picking up a piece of food, and dropping it in his mouth.

"No problem," Kagome replied, "How do you like it?"

"It's delicious," he said and took another piece from the same bowl, "I really like this dish. What is it called?"

Kagome grinned and ate from that bowl as well.

"It's  _oden_ , one of my favorites."

Once the two finished eating, Kaldur paid for their meal, after much insistence on his part, before he and Kagome took to the streets again.

"So what's next?" Kaldur asked, gently smiling.

"Let's see," Kagome mused, thoughtfully pursing her lips together, "We could go shopping. There's a pretty cool mall here."

Kaldur minutely cringed. "I would rather not."

Kagome giggled; it was a typical male response. She tried thinking of popular tourist attractions they could visit.

"Then how about we go to a museum? I've heard good things about the art museum at the university." Kagome noticed Kaldur's subtle disinterest and changed the topic.

"Or there's the marine science museum nearby we could go to."

Kaldur's interest readily piqued. "The marine science museum seems interesting."

"Great," Kagome said, "My kid brother went there on a class field trip a few days ago and won't stop bragging about it."

After they changed course for the museum, someone called out Kagome's name as they walked. She and Kaldur stopped and turned toward girl running to them.

"Higurashi-chan!" she cried and picked up her pace.

"Great," Kagome mumbled under her breath, "Here we go."

"A friend of yours?" Kaldur questioned.

"Something like that," she replied with a grimace, "I promise this will just be a minute."

"Take all the time you need."

The two stood and waited until the girl caught up to them and stopped.

"Hello, Harada-san," Kagome greeted her, "What brings you here?"

"Hello, Higurashi-chan!" Hinako remarked happily, "I was looking for you."

She held out Kagome's school bag.

"I know you said you'd get it tomorrow, but I didn't want to make you wait so long especially since you went out of your way and helped us today. I stopped by your place, but everyone said you went out, so I tried looking for you on my way home. I'm glad I actually found you!"

"Thanks, Harada-san," Kagome replied as she reclaimed her bag, "You really didn't have to do that for me."

"Not a problem!"

The girl then noticed Kaldur standing at Kagome's side.

"Are you on a date, Higurashi-chan?" Hinako asked with a sly grin, "Is this why you wanted to leave so early?"

Kagome's eyes widened, and she wildly waved her arms in front of her.

"No! Absolutely not! Kaldur-kun's just a friend from out of the country that I'm showing around the city!"

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone! See you in class, Higurashi-san!"

Hinako gave Kaldur a friendly wave and a wink before she skipped off, giggling.

"What was she saying?" Kaldur questioned curiously.

"Oh, nothing important! Let's just get going!"

Kagome stuffed her purse into her school bag and put it on her shoulders before she grabbed Kaldur's hand and quickly pulled in him in the direction of the museum. Kaldur chuckled as he looked at her vibrantly blushing face.

"Shut up!" she snapped, willing the redness in her face to go down.

Once Kagome and Kaldur reached the museum, Kagome paid for their admission to make up for the meal Kaldur purchased. They walked inside and thoroughly enjoyed all the exhibits and displays. Kaldur really surprised Kagome will all the prior knowledge he possessed on the different marine-based topics.

"You know a lot, Kaldur-kun!" she commented, "I'm impressed."

He shrugged. "I simply love the sea. I consider it my home."

Kagome grinned. "In that case, there's one more stop we have to make!"

When the duo left the museum, the skyline grew darker with clouds bellowing above them, signals that it would soon rain. Kaldur contemplated asking Kagome if they should head back to the mansion but had a feeling she would not consider it. If he recovered any information about Kagome during his short observation of her, he learned she was a very stubborn girl. He smiled slightly to himself. With Kagome, it didn't seem like such a bad trait.

"Here we are!" Kagome announced as she came to a stop.

She and Kaldur stood on an emptied beach with waves crashing against rich, black sands. Tall green pine trees lined the edge of the landscape creating a picturesque scene.

"This is amazing," Kaldur softly admitted.

Kagome nodded in agreement.

"This is the Miho no Matsubara Beach. It looks like there aren't many people here because of the weather, but I still think it's beautiful."

Whenever she had free time, Kagome came to this beach. She would often bring Sota, Shippo, or Rin with her, but she preferred to come alone. The powerful waves crashing against the shore and fresh sea air always soothed her and her thoughts.

Kagome shook her head before pointing in the distance to a large, ice capped mountain top.

"Look over there. That's Mount Fuji."

"I have heard a lot about it," Kaldur remarked, "It is magnificent."

"I'm glad you like it here."

The wind began to pick up causing Kagome to shiver; her sweater wasn't enough to fight it off.

"Here, you must be cold."

Kaldur slipped off his outer jacket and handed it to her, revealing a long sleeved, navy blue turtleneck.

"Thanks," Kagome replied as she slipped the jacket on over her clothes. It practically engulfed her entire form, covering up all but the hem of her sundress.

"No problem."

The two began observing their surroundings again, taking in the tranquil scenes. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Kagome bent over and slipped off her shoes before wading in the water. She laughed happily as she kicked her feet in the sea, twirling in the waves.

"Kagome?" Kaldur questioned as he watched her, "What are you doing?"

She looked at him with a grin. "What does it look like? Come play with me!"

Kaldur watched her incredulously before shaking his head. "Why not?"

He slipped off his shoes and walked into the surf until he reached Kagome. He stood next to her wearing a smile.

"Kagome," Kaldur began, "you are—"

"Not normal?" she finished for him, wearing a crooked grin, "I know."

He chuckled. "I was going to say 'unique'."

"Thanks," Kagome replied, "Then I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you're unique too."

"You could put it that way," Kaldur remarked with a shrug, "What makes you say that?"

"Instinct," Kagome answered coyly.

"Is that so?"

"Well, there is something else," Kagome said. She paused and pointed at Kaldur's wet pants legs.

"A normal person would have at least taken off their shoes before following me into the ocean."

Kaldur froze for a brief second before letting out a loud chuckle. He walked right into the water without taking off his shoes or even rolling up his pants and didn't realize it.

"I suppose there is some truth to that."

Kagome continued to move through the water, splashing around and wetting the edges of her dress, while Kaldur followed behind her at a more subdued pace. She seemed to be joking when they spoke, but he wondered what she truly meant. During this outing, he couldn't find anything about her that hinted she was capable of joining the Team or being a heroine in the first place. While she certainly made a charming date, there was nothing particularly notable about her at all. Kagome Higurashi was just an ordinary girl.

'She is very observant,' Kaldur noted, 'A mind reader, perhaps?'

If that was the case, Kagome was an exceptionally skilled psychic. When Miss Martian used her mind reading techniques on him and the others, there was always a stubborn pressure exerted on his mind, the mark of a novice. Even Martian Manhunter, a seasoned telepath, left an extremely faint but distinct touch in any mind he entered. Kaldur could only speculate that Kagome entered his mind at all. If she did, she left no traces.

Kaldur's thoughts falter when he felt unexpected drops of water hit him in the face. Kagome stood in front of him with suspiciously wet fingers, flicking them in his direction.

"Wanna tell me what's on your mind, space cadet?" Kagome playfully questioned him.

"Space cadet?" Kaldur repeated.

"It's an expression for people who space out like you just did," she explained, "So what are you thinking about?"

Before Kaldur could reply, there was a loud crack of thunder, and rain began to pour relentlessly. Kaldur and Kagome ran to the pine trees for shelter. Once they were covered from the downpour, Kagome reached into her bag and pulled out her cellphone.

"It was a good thing we ran into Harada-san or we'd be stranded until the rain stopped," Kagome stated before she dialed Jaken's number.

When she put the phone to her ear, she was confronted with Jaken's loud voice screeching in Japanese on the other end of the line. Kagome groaned and answered him with short, clipped responses before she closed the phone in a huff and stuffed it in her bag.

"Jaken-san will be here in a bit," she told Kaldur.

Kagome sighed as she looked at her appearance then Kaldur's. Her hair was soaked, but her clothes were mostly dry thanks to the coverage provided by his jacket. He, on the other hand, was completely drenched.

"I'm sorry about all this," Kagome said. She took off Kaldur's jacket and handed it to him, not that it would do much good now.

"No problem. A little water never hurt anyone," Kaldur replied as he folded it over his arms.

"Did you at least enjoy yourself before the torrential downpour?" Kagome inquired sheepishly.

Kaldur momentarily frowned when he noticed Kagome's cheerful attitude diminish considerably.

'How odd,' he thought, 'She's very…expressive.'

In an instant, the girl before him changed. Instead of the upbeat high school girl he met at Sesshomaru's manor, Kaldur saw a young woman with the same wizened expression he saw on the faces of many Justice League members. The gaze of someone who experienced the worst the world has to offer and overcame it.

'Or at least, she tried to,' he mused.

"I am still enjoying myself," Kaldur assured her with a smile, "You are good company, Kagome."

"So are you, Kaldur-kun," she responded, her grin returning to her face. Kaldur relaxed when it did.

After a few minutes of waiting, the two teens heard the limo's horn blaring from the city streets. Jaken walked to them from the car holding a large black umbrella over his head with another one by his side.

"I don't know why milord continues to put up with your horrid behavior, you ungrateful child!" Jaken grumbled as he thrust the unopened umbrella to Kagome. He turned and went back to the limo expecting the two teens to follow.

"Is he upset?" Kaldur asked.

"Yeah, but don't worry about it. There's rarely a time when he's not."

Kagome opened the umbrella and tried to cover both her and Kaldur. He chuckled as she strained her arms, standing on the tips of her toes.

"Maybe I should hold it for you," he suggested.

Kagome huffed but handed him the umbrella.

"It's not my fault you're so tall!"

Kaldur took the umbrella and held it above the two of them as they walked side by side to the car. When they reached it, he opened the door for her and let her in before closing the umbrella and sitting next to her. He set both his wet jacket and the umbrella on the floor by his feet.

"So what's the plan, Jaken-san?" Kagome asked.

"Sesshmaru-sama and Wayne-sama have concluded their business at the manor. I'll take you home then drop off the boy," Jaken informed her.

"The hotel should be closer. Take Kaldur-kun back first," Kagome firmly stated.

Jaken grumbled but rerouted and headed for the hotel. When he finally arrived outside of the large, lavish building, he pulled into the driveway just in front of its entrance.

"Looks like this is your stop," Kagome commented, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes," Kaldur replied, "Hopefully my friends can accompany us as well."

With a short goodbye, Kaldur left with the umbrella with him after Kagome insisted. Just before Jaken left the parking lot, Kagome noticed his jacket rumpled on the floor.

"Jaken-san," she said as she picked it up, "I'm going to bring Kaldur-kun his jacket. What's his room number?"

"1217," Jaken reluctantly answered.

Kagome ran to the hotel, trying her best to evade the rain, and walked inside. She received many curious and repulsed stares with her drenched appearance, but she was not discouraged as she quickly entered the closest elevator. When she stopped on the twelfth floor, Kagome searched for the room in the long, spacious hallways. Once she found it, Kagome knocked and waited for an answer.

"I'm coming!" an unfamiliar voice shouted.

'That must be one of Kaldur-kun's friends,' Kagome thought. She self-consciously tugged her sodden sweater and soaked sundress, not that doing so would help her appearance. She hoped she could get this over with as soon as possible so she could get cleaned.

The door opened and a green-eyed, ginger-haired boy stood in the doorway. He looked surprised to see her but not for long.

"Hello, gorgeous," he welcomed her, casually leaning against the doorframe, "What brings you here to see me? Not that I'm complaining."

Kagome stifled giggles; this boy certainly was a character. Before she could answer, a raven boy a few inches shorter than her and—oddly enough—wearing sunglasses walked up to the ginger and bopped him on the head.

"Don't you ever quit?" he asked him, rolling his eyes. He turned to Kagome and began to speak to her in Japanese.

"Sorry about him," he amended, "Can I help you, miss?"

"Yes," Kagome responded and held out the jacket, "I came to return this to Kaldur-kun."

"You have his jacket?" the raven asked her then deduced, "Then you must be Kagome."

"Yes, that would be me," Kagome affirmed with a large grin, "And I can speak English. Your friend doesn't seem to like being kept out of the loop."

She pointed to the redhead, who wore a confused look on his face.

"You two aren't talking about me, are you?" he hesitantly asked.

The raven smiled and reverted to English. "I'm Richard, but you can call me Dick."

He jerked his thumb to his ginger companion. "And this is my friend, Wally."

"Pleased to meet you," Kagome replied with a polite bow.

"Not as pleased as I am to meet you," Wally said with a wink.

This time, Kagome left a few giggles slip.

Once again, Dick rolled his eyes at Wally's antics before he reached out and took the offered garment.

"Here, I'll take that. Kaldur would, but he's in the shower right now."

"Thanks," Kagome replied, "I have to go now. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow."

"Think you could stay dry until then?" Dick suggested jokingly.

"I'll try to!"

Kagome walked down the hall to the elevator, briefly waving over her shoulder at the two boys. Wally and Dick waited until she disappeared before closing the door to their room.

"So what do you think?" Dick asked, wearing a smirk, "She cute enough for you?"

Wally eagerly nodded and wide grin spread across his face.

"She's definitely a hottie!"

-O0o0O-

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> punkish_furball – Is Kagome really the docile school girl Kaldur thinks she is? Read the next chapter to find out! Until next time, TCB! XD
> 
> (revised 07.21.2013)


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> punkish_furball – Hey, guys! ^.^
> 
> Words to Ponder:
> 
> I hope you all like where the story is going thus far. I hope I got the personalities of Kaldur, Robin, and Wally down. If you have any comments to help me improve, let me know.
> 
> Thank you for reviewing from FF.net: Suzume Batchii Taichi, Ukitakes luver, TsukiyoTenshi, Mistress Belfray, inuluvskags1, leslie2132, redangel2463, Dark Inu Fan, HalfBlackWolfDemon, falcon1loam, Jessica, Bunny.W.K, XxHisLilLoverGirlxX, Lizzy Cornett, MyworldMyImagination (2x), Foxluna, Loveless642, Riddlestyx, inuyashamikogirl26, BatmanFanatic123, and Ground-Cinnamon! XD

**Chapter 2**

_**Friday, June 4, 2010** _

During their return to the manor, Jaken made a point to chastise Kagome her reckless and uncouth behavior as a ward of the esteemed Sesshomaru-sama. She dutifully tuned him out and made a mental note to check the weather report before walking out on her grumpy caretaker again.

After arriving home, taking a nice, warm bath, and changing into comfortable pajamas, she was as good as new. Kagome took a seat at her desk as she wrung out the last bit of water from her hair and draped the towel over her shoulders.

'I'm glad Kaldur-kun had fun today,' she thought, 'He seems like the kind of guy who needs to loosen up a bit.'

Abruptly, Kagome called out, "I know you're in the hallway, so just come in."

As she expected, Shippo strode into her room and plopped down on her bed, making the mattress droop. Kagome discreetly rolled her eyes before reaching into her backpack and pulling out her schoolbooks. Since she had her bag back, she might as well get some work done.

"So how did it go?" he pointedly asked. It was clear he'd been waiting all day to grill her on the subject.

"Fine," she answered without bothering to look in his direction.

"'Fine'?" he repeated incredulously, "You ditch Jaken for hours, come home soaking wet, and all you have to say for yourself is 'fine'?"

"Yup," she replied, tossing him a cheeky grin over her shoulder.

Shippo smirked. "You really like this guy, don't you?"

"Don't start that," Kagome stated, turning around in her chair with her legs straddling it, "I just happen to find Kaldur-kun interesting."

"How so?"

"He's a really nice guy," she answered, "But there's something else about him."

Shippo hummed suggestively. "Really? Could it be the beginnings of romance you're feeling?"

"I didn't mean it like that," she hastily corrected.

"Then how did you mean it?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but I don't think Kaldur-kun is human."

"He's a demon, then?" Shippo asked.

"No, not that," Kagome answered with certainty, "I'm not entirely sure what he is."

She pursed her lips together and started to rock back and forth in her seat.

"Come to think of it, Wally-kun felt different too."

"Wally-kun?"

"He's the other boy that accompanied Wayne-san and his ward. I met him when Jaken-san brought Kaldur-kun to the hotel."

"Is he another unknown like him?"

"Not exactly. What I feel from Wally-kun is different from what I feel from Kaldur-kun," Kagome began, "For the most part, I'd say he's a normal human. Whatever it is I sense from him is extremely faint. It's like he has some kind of mutation or anomaly I've never encountered before."

"So you've met an unknown species and a mutated human," Shippo listed, "What about Wayne-san's ward? Anything off about him?"

"From what I can tell, Richard-kun is completely normal," Kagome deduced.

"Well, that's no fun," he remarked, "Are you gonna ask the other two about their special attributes?"

"No way."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. If they decide to tell me about it themselves, that's fine. But I'm not going to pry in their personal business. I hardly know them after all."

Shippo scoffed. "I never thought I'd hear those words from you, the meddling queen extraordinaire!"

"I do not meddle!" Kagome exclaimed before turning around with a huff.

"Sure you don't," he retorted.

"Goodnight, Shippo," she said, clearly dismissing him.

"Goodnight, Kaa-san."

Without delay, Shippo stood, left her room, and walked toward the stairs. Just before he reached them, he came face to face with Sesshomaru who emerged from an adjacent passage.

"Geez! You scared me!" he exclaimed, dramatically pressing his hand over his heart, "I know you own the place, but give a guy a little warning before you randomly pop up, will ya?"

Sesshomaru snorted. "I should be more concerned that it was so easy to catch you off guard, but you're not who I'm here for. What did Kagome say about today's outing?"

"Well, at the very least, she's a little curious about the teen hero squad," Shippo flippantly commented, condescension lacing his tone, "Kagome can sense the Atlantean and the mutation in Flash Jr. but doesn't see the need to find out more about them, so her interest ends there."

"So she's met the others," Sesshomaru mused, "An interesting development. Did she say anything about their perception of her?"

"No," Shippo answered with a sigh, "but I can guess what it is."

"Is that so?"

"Look, I don't wanna insult your plan here, but cute and charming a superhero does not make. Why would they recruit her based on that? I mean, they are boys, but I think they have enough experience to make decisions without letting their hormones get in the way."

"Tell me, kit," Sesshomaru began, "Have you forgotten what occurs tomorrow?"

"Umm…Friday?" Shippo answered with a puzzled look on his face.

Sesshomaru fought the urge to sigh. It seemed that he would have to walk him through this one. Shippo may have been a competent business partner when it counted, but Sesshomaru always suspected he was low on common sense.

"What occurs every Friday?" Sesshomaru probed.

"Let's see…"

"On Kagome's schedule, kit," Sesshomaru supplied when Shippo hesitated.

"Oh, that narrows it down at bit," Shippo commented, "She gets up, gets dressed, eats breakfast, goes to school, comes home, does homework until she leaves to pick up Sota from soccer prac—"

"And on her way to do so…?" Sesshomaru interrupted.

"And on her way to do so," Shippo repeated slowly, "Kaa-san stops to—oh! You mean the thing!"

"Exactly."

"I forgot all about the thing! They'll be begging her to join them after they see that," Shippo declared, "But how are they going to see that? We aren't even supposed to know about it."

He paused and leaned closer to Sesshomaru with his hand cupped around his mouth as he whispered, "It's Kaa-san's little secret!"

Sesshomaru edged away from Shippo before smirking. "They will simply be at the right place at the right time to see the right thing."

"I see," he realized with a goofy grin on his face, "As always, you'll succeed in bending the entire universe to your indomitable will! Just what I'd expect from the great and terrible Sesshomaru-sama!"

Sesshomaru turned and walked down the hallway before succumbing to his earlier urge and sighing. Centuries have passed, yet the kit was still a kit. How he managed to handle him without Kagome around, he had no clue.

-O0o0O-

Kaldur stepped out of the shower feeling completely refreshed. As much as he liked the water, the sentiment wasn't the same after being soaked in the rain. After changing, he joined Robin and Wally in the living room of their hotel suite on a large couch.

"So spill!" Wally exclaimed as soon as Kaldur took a seat, "How was it?"

"And don't give us the routine mission report you plan on feeding Batman," Robin added.

Kaldur shrugged his shoulders before he answered, "It wasn't exactly a routine mission. I had fun."

"With a cutie like that, I bet you did," Wally commented with a wink.

"By the way," Robin said as he held out Kaldur's jacket, "she brought you this."

"Kagome came to our hotel room?" Kaldur questioned as he took the garment.

"She sure did," Wally answered, "She must really like you to do that in the pouring rain. I have to admit, I'm a little jealous."

Robin rolled his eyes at Wally before directing the conversation to a more serious topic. "So did you see any of Kagome's skills or powers?"

"Not necessarily," Kaldur answered slowly.

"So what's up?" Robin asked.

"I am not entirely sure if this relates to it, but there is a chance she is aware that I'm not human," Kaldur explained.

"That's a surprise. Did you flash your gills or something?" Wally suggested jokingly.

"I did not reveal myself in anyway," Kaldur answered, "Even if I did, Kagome did not directly refer to anything like that. I only suspect she knows because she made a few subtle comments here and there, but for all I know it could have been coincidence."

"Assuming she does know," Robin surmised, "Kagome could be some kind of mind reader or psychic."

"That's what I believe. If she is, I would she is exceptionally skilled. I could not feel her presence in my mind if she entered it at all," Kaldur added, "This is purely speculation on my part."

"And it's the only thing we have to go on so far," Robin said, "We'll just have to test her out. I mean, she has to be able to do something even if she doesn't have a superpower."

"Absolutely," Wally commented, "I mean, there's no way we can recruit an ordinary girl to the Team."

"I do not think Kagome is ordinary," Kaldur confidently stated although he had no proof.

However, if his experience as a young hero taught him anything, it was that sometimes the most common and mundane things held powerful and lethal secrets. It may not be apparent now, but Kaldur was sure Kagome was no different.

"I am not entirely sure," he continued, "but there is something about her."

"Atlantean intuition?" Robin quipped with a grin.

Kaldur chuckled and reclined comfortably in his seat. "You could call it that."

-O0o0O-

Kagome quietly groaned under her breath as she flipped through her math notes with her head and shoulders slumped over her desk. Not for the first time did she attempt to purify them. Sadly, as demonic as her inky scribbles seemed to her, her notebook didn't turn into ashes. She sat up and turned her head to the clock on her side table, glancing at the time.

'It's about time for me to head out anyway,' Kagome thought as she stood from her desk, stretching her arms high above her head. She walked to her closet and grabbed a small black bag hanging on the door handle before slinging it over her shoulder and walking out of her room. On her way out, she passed by Sesshomaru's study and peeked inside. As always, he was focused on his computer and the many documents that littered his desk.

"I'm leaving," she informed the demon, waiting for his usual response.

Sesshomaru briefly looked away from his monitor at Kagome. "Very well. Don't stay out too long. You have an appointment to keep."

"Don't worry about it. I won't."

Thankfully, she didn't forget the arrangement Sesshomaru and Wayne made today. She was just grateful Sesshomaru organized it so her daily chore wouldn't be disturbed.

'Even so, I better not take too long,' she thought as she headed for the front door and exited the mansion, quickly reaching the sidewalk out of the suburbs.

Kagome continued until she reached a small convenience store on a familiar street corner in a less affluent section of the city. Without hesitation, she stepped inside, the bell attached to the front door alerting the store clerk of her entrance. The older woman looked up from the manga she was reading and smiled.

"Hello, Kagome-chan," she cheerfully greeted her, "I knew I'd see you sooner or later."

"Hello, Obaa-san," Kagome said, smiling, "Nice to see you too."

The shop's owner was a short, plump woman with a kind smile and cheerful disposition. When she first stumbled into the shop, she insisted Kagome call her "obaa-san" and entertained her with all sorts of stories. The convenience store quickly became one of the places she frequented along with the beach even if Obaa-san was one of her more eccentric acquaintances.

'Maybe Sesshomaru and Shippo are right. I do have a collection of friends,' Kagome thought absently.

"The bathroom is all yours," Obaa-san told her, pointing to the back of the shop.

"Thank you."

After a few minutes in the restroom, Kagome emerged dressed in a black boys' uniform with her hair tied in a low ponytail at the base of her neck. She walked back to the counter and handed her bag to Obaa-san which now contained her usual school uniform.

"I know I can trust you to keep this safe," Kagome stated.

"Of course, dear," Obaa-san replied with a small grin as she took the bag, "It never ceases to amaze me how cute you look dressed as a boy. It reminds me of  _Hana-Kimi_ , but I'm glad you didn't cut off all that gorgeous hair like Mizuki-chan!"

Kagome giggled, lightly bobbing her raven head. "I had no idea you liked shojo manga so much, Obaa-san."

"I'm not long for this world, so an old woman like me needs some source of pleasure in this lifetime!" she retorted with a crooked grin.

"I believe the saying is that only the good die young, so you probably don't have as little time remaining as you think," Kagome countered, her joking tone evident.

"If that's true, I'll have you to keep me company until then. I can see behind that innocent mask you put on for everyone else; I know a fellow troublemaker when I see one!"

"And here I thought trouble always followed me."

Kagome stepped to the door and looked over her shoulder. "I'll be back soon."

"Of course, dear. Come back in one piece, and I'll have a little something for you and your brother when you do."

Kagome nodded once before leaving the shop. She walked down the street for a number of blocks until she reached her destination, a large recreational park with an adjacent soccer field. Looking beyond the surrounding chain link fence, she saw Sota standing with a group of friends and his coach.

"Hey, squirt!" she called, making her voice sound as deep as possible.

Sota turned from his teammates and rushed up to meet Kagome at the gate.

"Kazuo-onii-sama!" he greeted her happily.

Kagome smiled at her assumed male name; it was her late father's so she found it a very fitting title for her alternative persona.

"You ready to go?" she asked him.

"Yup."

Sota turned and waved goodbye to his teammates before walking away alongside Kagome.

"How was practice?" Kagome asked.

"Great!" Sota answered, "I've improved my blocking techniques, so coach is going to let me be goalie next game."

"Good for you," she commented, "How's everything else? Has anyone been bothering you?"

"Nope," he answered wearing a wide grin, "Not since my onii-sama showed up and kicked everyone's ass!"

Kagome bopped Sota on the head. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop cursing?"

Despite her reprimand, she grinned. Compared to her, Sota fared much worse when he transferred to his new school. He immediately had a problem with bullying and was reluctant to tell anyone about it. As soon as Kagome found out, she wasn't going to tolerate it and wanted to step in to solve the problem for good. However, it would have only made matters worse for Sota if his older sister had to protect him. On the other hand, having an older brother do the same thing wasn't nearly as bad. And so, Kagome acquired a boys' uniform and created Higurashi Kazuo, local street fighter and a force to be reckoned with. The perfect person to scare off the most persistent bullies.

'Of course, bullies have older brothers too,' Kagome mentally added.

She had no choice but to fight them off and prove she was worthy of her street fighting title. After facing off with those guys and all of the other challengers that followed, Kagome was drawn deeper into the world of underground brawls and made a good name for herself or, more accurately, 'Kazuo'. Most importantly, Sota was safe and not bothered at school anymore, giving him the opportunity to finally enjoy his new school and make some new friends.

The fighting itself wasn't too bad; it gave her a regular opportunity to keep her combat skills sharp outside of the estate's dojo. Shippo and, in rarer cases, Sesshomaru were more than competent teachers and helped Kagome maintain and develop the skills she learned in the past. However, she didn't like interrupting their work by seeking them out every time she was itching for a fight. Her new opponents were rarely on her level, but they cornered her in large enough numbers to keep their skirmishes interesting.

Of course, no one other than Sota knew of her new favorite pastime, and Kagome worked hard to keep it that way. Sesshomaru, Shippo, and everyone else worked so hard to ensure that she and her family had a new life free of hardships. She knew that if she got caught, all of that work would be for naught.

"Are you alright?" Sota asked Kagome when she grew silent.

"I'm fine," she replied, "Just thinking."

"Higurashi Kazuo!" an angry voice shouted.

The two siblings turned and looked down a small side street to see a band of thugs assembled in the alley. A large boy with slicked back hair and a poor disposition stood front and center, obviously the ringleader of the goons. Before Kagome and Sota could walk away, another group blocked their exit and pushed them into the alley.

'Looks like we got trouble,' Kagome thought and stood protectively next to her brother.

"Remember me, Higurashi?" the gang leader asked, focusing all attention on Kagome.

"Can't say that I do," she replied flippantly, "Frankly, all of you thugs are starting to look alike these days, slow and dimwitted."

The leader sneered. "You fucking queer! The name's Nakamura Hiroto, leader of the Black Mantis, and I'll make you pay for humiliating me!"

'Nakamura?' Kagome thought, 'His gang's turf is on the other side of town. I beat him a few weeks ago; that must be why he's here.'

"Sota, stay behind me and out of the way," Kagome instructed before slipping into a battle stance, "Be ready to run when I tell you to."

Sota nodded and jogged a safe distance away from the fight.

"Get him!" Nakamura ordered.

They immediately ran to Kagome with their fists raised, ready to attack. She dodged and countered with a few simple moves, utilizing sharp punches and kicks to knock them out quickly. Though there was a large number of combatants, they were large, slow and poorly skilled.

'I just have to keep moving,' Kagome thought as she continued.

"Onii-sama!" Kagome heard Sota shout behind her. She paused and turned to see him in the grip of one of the gang members, hoisted into the air by an arm tightly wrapped around his neck.

"Sota!" she called worriedly.

Taking advantage of Kagome's inattention, Nakamura rushed forward and punched her in the gut, knocking the wind from her body. As she doubled over, her arms were grabbed and securely pinned behind her. She struggled to break free, but the grip was too tight and she couldn't move.

"I always knew that that pathetic brother of yours was your weakness!" Nakamura gloated, standing in front of Kagome with a victorious grin, "The only thing left is to decide which one of you I'll eliminate first."

Nakamura reached into the waistband of his pants and pulled out a large hunting knife. He jokingly brandished the blade earning chuckles from his followers. Kagome grimaced; she was practically defenseless. In addition to the concealed weapon, Nakamura had Sota captive. There was no telling what the crazed gang leader would order his followers to do if she tried to escape.

'He has to get out of here, first' Kagome thought, 'It's the only way I can be sure he's safe.'

"You're still not paying attention to me!" Nakamura shouted and slashed Kagome's arm.

She winced but retained her strong countenance. The wound was shallow, just a superficial means to scare her into submission.

"Sota, leave now!" she shouted, "Forget about me and run!"

"Onii-sama," Sota whispered quietly.

Thinking quickly, he latched his teeth on the arm of his captor, biting him as hard as he could.

"Dammit!"

His grip loosened, allowing Sota to slide downward with ease. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Sota dashed for the sidewalk and ran away as fast as he could.

"You idiot!" Nakamura shouted, "You let the brat get away!"

"Don't worry, boss," one of his followers stated, "Once word gets out that we took care of Higurashi, his little brother won't stand a chance on the streets."

Nakamura looked at Kagome and grinned fiendishly.

"Well, you're right about that. Higurashi, payback starts now."

-O0o0O-

Dick sighed as he looked away from his cellphone and slipped it in his pocket. The directions in the email were nearly impossible to decipher no matter how well he understood Japanese.

"Looks like we got lost," he announced to his fellow teammates.

Today, instead of meeting Kagome at the Toboso mansion as Kaldur did before, the trio of young heroes was instructed to meet her at another predetermined destination. The change of plans was unexpected as Toboso only informed Wayne this morning. He and the remainder of the Team were suspicious of the sudden move but had to bear with it. It was just another obstacle he placed before them to overcome.

"Correction. You're the only one that can read Japanese; therefore, you're the only one who can read the directions, the maps, and the street signs," Wally dryly stated, "So you are the one that got us lost."

"Whatever," Dick replied before turning to Kaldur, "Do you have any idea where we're headed?"

"No, but I am sure we can find someone to ask for directions," he answered.

"I guess it couldn't hurt."

Before the group could do anything else, a small boy ran in their direction, frantically passing them by. They paused and curiously watched him run away.

"That boy looks familiar," Kaldur commented.

"He should," Dick said, "That boy was Kagome's younger brother, Sota Higurashi."

"Really? It looks like he's in trouble," Wally remarked, "Think we have time for a little side mission?"

"We may have no choice," Kaldur replied, "Hopefully he can lead us to Kagome."

The trio turned and ran after Sota, confronting the distraught boy when he was stopped at the traffic signal of an intersection.

"Excuse me," Dick asked Sota in Japanese, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder to gain his attention, "but are you okay?''

"What?" Sota exclaimed in surprise, "Who are you?"

"I'm Dick Grayson, and these are my friends," he answered, "We want to help."

Sota slowly nodded and began to calm down. If he already knew who Dick and the others were, he didn't give any indication.

"It's my onii-sama!" Sota blurted, panicked, "He's in real big trouble!"

'Older brother?' Dick thought in disbelief when he recognized the Asian term, 'That's odd.'

"Then lead the way," he replied, giving the boy a confident grin.

Sota nodded before turning around and running back the way he came with Dick, Kaldur, and Wally following closely behind.

"So what's up?" Wally asked.

"He didn't say much. Just that his brother is in trouble," Dick responded.

"Brother?" Kaldur repeated, "The report stated that Sota Higurashi was Kagome's only biological sibling."

Dick nodded in agreement.

"But just because he called him big brother doesn't mean he actually is. He could be an older friend of the family or something. Either way, he could help us find Kagome."

The group of four continued until Sota stopped just before the crowded entrance to an alleyway. It didn't take much to guess that all of the alley's occupants were members of the same gang by the way they were just.

"That's him!" Sota whispered.

He pointed to a small boy cornered by the large group and held captive by two thugs. Another member of the gang, most likely their leader, stood in front of him and held a large hunting knife to his cheek. Slowly, he dragged it across his skin, making a jagged red line on his face. He and his gang didn't notice the appearance of the three young heroes and Sota.

Dick nodded as he, Kaldur, and Wally stepped in front of Sota.

"Stay out of the way and leave everything to us."

Sota nodded and ran away to take cover.

"I'm gonna make you pay for everything you did to me, Higurashi, the leader stated smugly as he slowly pulled the knife away, "I'm gonna start by carving up this pretty little face of yours."

He recoiled when Higurashi spat in his face, wearing a confident smirk.

"I'd like to see you try it. Nakamura, you're nothing but a coward. A spineless, weak coward who hides behind others," he grunted, "I'll never lose to someone like you."

Nakamura hissed angrily, tightly clutching the knife in his hands as his form shook with rage.

"You bastard! You're completely helpless and still talking shit!"

He pulled back his arm, aiming the blade at Higurashi's abdomen.

"Take this, you punk!"

Before the blade penetrated Higurashi's stomach, it vanished from Nakamura's grip.

"What the hell?" he questioned, looking at his empty hand in disbelief.

"Sorry about that."

He turned and saw Wally casually leaning against the wall of an adjacent building as he tossed the knife in the air by its handle.

"Sorry about that. It didn't really seem like a fair fight when you had this, so I thought I'd even the odds, ya know?" Wally continued, grinning cheekily.

"Where the hell did this  _gaijin_  come from?"

"I didn't even see him move."

"I don't care!" Nakamura shouted, "Take him down if you have to, but leave Higurashi to me."

"Right, boss!"

Wally smirked as a group of thugs advanced in his direction.

"Geez, you guys really don't know how to play by the rules. Lucky for me, I brought back up."

Before they could move further, the thugs were assaulted from behind and rendered unconscious by Dick and Kaldur.

"What the hell?" Nakamura stated, his ire rising, "There're more of them?"

"I don't know about you, Kaldur, but I'm disappointed Wally couldn't handle these guys without us," Dick commented cheekily, "You must be getting rusty if they whelmed you like that."

"I just thought I'd give you the chance to show off a bit, as if you really need my help to do that," Wally disputed.

"It's your fault for taking so long," Dick replied, "You're pretty slow for a self-proclaimed speedster."

"There will be time for witty banter later," Kaldur interrupted, turning his attention from his teammates to the rest of the gang, "We need to deal with the situation at hand."

"Right," Wally replied, dropping the blade and joining Dick and Kaldur, "I guess the next move is to free the boy."

"No need for that," Higurashi informed them with a little smirk.

Using the inattention of his captors to his advantage, Higurashi jerked his right arm free and punched the goon on the left straight in his abdomen with his escaped fist. Once he was out of the way, Higurashi took out the guy on his right in a similar fashion.

"Nice moves," Wally commented with a low, impressed whistle.

Higurashi said nothing as he moved backward, falling into formation with Kaldur, Dick, and Wally. His eyes were set on Nakamura, who shrank away as soon as he was free.

"Thanks for the complement. Think you guys can keep up for the rest of the fight?" Higurashi asked them, cracking his knuckles.

"You got it," Dick replied with a grin.

"Just be sure you can keep up, newbie," Wally added.

"What do we do now, boss?" one of the Black Mantis asked Nakamura, "What the hell do we do?"

Nakamura hesitantly looked at the row of assembled fighters and bit his lip. He knew that there was no way he and the rest of the Black Mantis could defeat Higurashi now that he wasn't ensnared especially with the three newcomers joining the brawl. On top of that, he no longer held Sota in his possession, his key trump card.

"We have no choice but to retreat!" Nakamura declared, "This fight is over."

The gang quickly turned tail and left, gathering their injured members and heading for the main road. Higurashi slipped out of his battle stance now that the Black Mantis was no longer a threat.

Just before he left, Nakamura turned and sneered in Higurashi's direction.

"You'll regret this, Higurashi Kazuo! I'll be back for you!"

"You know where to find me, Nakamura," Higurashi replied with a smirk, despite the blood staining his cheek.

Nakamura growled before turning around and running away with his crew. Once they were gone, Sota emerged from his hiding spot and ran to Higurashi.

"Onii-sama!" he happily exclaimed, "You really did it!"

"Yeah, but you helped me out, didn't you, squirt?" Higurashi replied, lightly patting Sota's hair, "You did well."

'Wait a minute,' Kaldur thought as he observed the interaction between the two brothers.

He shared a quick look with Dick and Wally; they figured out the mystery of the elder and supposedly male Higurashi sibling as well.

"Kagome," Kaldur called out causing Higurashi to stiffen, "is that you?"

"Kaldur-kun?" Kagome squeaked as she jerked her head toward the three boys.

A bright red blush lit up her face as she realized she was found out. She hoped that she and Sota could make a quick get away before the others recognized who she was. Kagome didn't want to explain this at all, but it seemed like she had no choice.

"Onii-sama?" Sota asked her quietly.

Kagome quickly straightened up and sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck as she faced the trio.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them shakily, "This is unexpected. What brings you here, huh?"

"I think a better question would be why you are here," Kaldur countered.

Kagome cringed at the obvious disappointment in his voice.

'So much for what happened yesterday,' she thought, dismayed.

"And, while you're at it, why you're dressed like a boy," Dick added.

"Well, that's kind of a long, long story," Kagome remarked.

She turned away from the boys and surveyed the damage she received during the fight. The cut on her arm already stopped bleeding, but blood continued to drip from the wound on her cheek. Sighing, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief before pressing it to her shallow cut.

"We should probably get out of here before any more gangs decide to show up," Kagome suggested. She and Sota walked out of the alley with the other three following behind them.

"So what's the deal with the cross dressing?" Wally asked, lagging behind. Before leaving, he tucked a ripped piece of cloth baring the symbol of the Black Mantis in his pocket, mentally dubbing it his souvenir.

"More importantly, why were you caught in a situation like that?" Kaldur gently scolded, "It was very dangerous."

"Well, the two actually go hand in hand," Kagome began with a shrug, keeping her handkerchief pressed to her cheek, "My little brother, Sota, was getting picked on at his new school, so I decided to confront who was doing it. I couldn't do it as a girl or I would just cause him more trouble. So I decided to do it dressed like a boy. It worked, and Sota is no longer approached by bullies at school."

"I see," Kaldur said, "but that does not explain why you continue to do it."

"Well, after I frightened off Sota's bullies, a few of their older brothers picked fights with me. After I beat them, a few rumors about me began to spread and reached some local gangs," Kagome clarified, "One thing led to another, and people, gang members or otherwise, started seeking out my male persona for fights. I wasn't exactly in the position to back out of them or reveal I was a girl, so I fight them whenever they find me."

She thoughtfully pursed her lips together.

"After a while, I built up a reputation. I suppose I could have stopped a while ago, but it's become something of a hobby now."

"A hobby?" Kaldur repeated incredulously.

"Well, at least I get good exercise every now and then!"

Wally loudly laughed, holding his stomach as he leaned over. "Looks like you're a little wild cat, huh?"

"You're pretty good though," Dick mentioned, "Have you had any formal martial arts training or something?"

"Not really," Kagome answered, "I just picked up a few moves here and there and improved the more I fought."

"I guess practice makes perfect," Dick replied, but he didn't seem too convinced.

"Well, this is our first stop!" Kagome stated, stopping in front the convenience store. She walked ahead of everyone else to the front counter, retrieving her bag from behind it.

"I'll be right back," she called out over her shoulder as she continued to the back of the store, "Hang out here until I'm done."

"You got it, babe!" Wally replied and leaned against the counter.

When Kagome was gone, the store's owner, a stout, older woman, warmly called Sota behind the counter. The younger boy to quickly join her, leaving Kaldur, Dick, and Wally behind.

"So what do you think?" Wally asked, "I mean, I'm sure none of us saw this coming."

"We can't talk about it now," Kaldur reprimanded, "We will discuss it later without interruption."

"Sounds good," Dick remarked, "but there is one thing I really wanna know."

"What's that?" Wally questioned.

"How all those guys are convinced Kagome's a guy!" he answered with a laugh, "I've never seen a boy look so girly!"

After a few more minutes of waiting, Kagome emerged from the back of the store wearing her normal school uniform with a bandage on her injured cheek and the black bag slung over her shoulders.

"Thanks for the bandages, Obaa-san!" Kagome said when the shop's owner reappeared with Sota.

"Not a problem, dear," she cheerfully replied, "We can't have you scarring that pretty little face of yours!"

"I appreciate your concern. I'll see you next week, Obaa-san."

"Before you leave, here's some  _botamochi_  for you, your brother, and your friends. You're lucky I made extra today!"

The older woman placed a large paper bag on the counter as Sota rejoined his sister and the others.

Kagome sighed as she took the offered bag of sweets. "You really didn't have to make all these."

"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine," Obaa-san stated, "After all, it's not every day I have such handsome young men in my store. And they're foreigners to boot! You certainly have good taste, Kagome-chan! I did hope you'd got a boyfriend sooner or later, but I never imagined you'd have your own personal harem."

Sota and Dick burst out laughing at Obaa-san's bold comments which had Kagome blushing bright red as she inched toward the door.

"Thank you, Obaa-san! See you later!" Kagome cried nervously before she rushed outside with the boys tagging along behind her. In her haste, she dropped the  _botamochi_ which Wally readily retrieved.

"So where to, Kagome?" Wally asked once they were a few blocks away.

"Back home I guess. There really isn't much else we can do now," she answered, "Unless you guys have an idea."

"That is fine with us," Kaldur replied for the group.

Wally snorted. "Easy for you to say. You already had your tour of the town with a lovely escort."

"How about we take it easy today, and hang out after school lets out tomorrow?" Kagome suggested.

"School on a Saturday? It's bad enough you're have it during what should be summer break," Wally cried indignantly, "I'll pass on that."

"It's only a half day, so I'll be out by noon," Kagome explained, "And our school terms are probably very different from yours. This term ends in early July."

"Well, it sounds aster to me!" Dick exclaimed.

"Aster?" Kagome curiously repeated the unfamiliar term.

"Don't worry," Dick reassured her with a quick pat on the back, "It's a good thing!"

When the group of five finally arrived at the Toboso Estate, they promptly went into separate directions. Sota went to his room while the others followed Kagome to hers.

"Are you sure we are allowed to be in your room at this hour?" Kaldur, ever the polite one, asked.

"Of course you are," Kagome assured him, "Don't worry about it." She opened the door to her room she saw Shippo in her bed, lying on his back with one of her manga volumes on top of his face.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked him exasperatedly, standing akimbo.

Shippo lazily lifted the book, a large, goofy grin decorating his face.

"Kaa-san, you're home!" he cried as he sat up, "And you brought friends!"

Shippo gave her a quick once over before his eyes slanted to the boys accompanying her. He then stood and walked to Kagome, draping his arm around her neck and pressing his full weight against her.

"So you're with Wayne, huh? I hope you boys weren't planning to do anything untoward with my sweet little Kaa-san!"

"Get off me, you big goat!" Kagome hissed, pushing him away from her as hard as she could, "And get lost!"

"Fine," Shippo acquiesced with a pout as he pulled away from her, "I guess I'm not invited to this party."

He walked out to the room, winking at the three boys as he passed them.

"What was all that about?" Wally asked.

"That's Toboso's business partner and son-in-law, Yoshikuni-san," Dick explained, "I've never met him before now, but I wasn't expecting him to act like that."

"Shippo's always been very eccentric especially out of the office," Kagome clarified, "I wouldn't worry about him too much."

She walked toward her desk, placing her bag on the floor next to it. She opened one of its drawers and pulled out a deck of cards.

"How would you guys like to play a few games?" she proposed with a crooked grin.

Dick smirked. "You know how to play poker?"

"I'm familiar with the rules, but I don't have anything to bet," Kagome remarked as she took a seat on her bed. She gestured for the three boys to join her, and they formed a small circle on top of her comforter.

"What about those things that shop owner gave us?" Dick suggested.

"The  _ohagi_?" Kagome responded, as she shuffled the cards, "I guess that will work."

"You might want to reconsider that," Wally admitted as he shyly held out the emptied paper bag.

"You ate all of them?" Kagome asked in disbelief.

"Sorry," he amended sheepishly, "I have an extremely high metabolism, so I decided to help myself on the way. If it's any consolation, I think your brother managed to sneak one or two away from me."

"Well, since we lost those bargaining chips, how about we try something a little different?" Kagome began, "The losers of each hand have to tell the winner one thing about themselves."

"So we are gambling with information?" Kaldur inferred.

"Something like that," Kagome replied as she dealt out the cards, "You don't have to tell us any deep, dark secrets about yourself. Just something about you that we don't know. I'm sure it will pass the time."

"Sounds fun," Wally mentioned as he and the others picked up their hands, "Get ready to lose!"

-O0o0O-

The trio of teen heroes sat in the back of the car Wayne sent to pick them up from Toboso's manor. He contacted them sometime after 11 o' clock when they didn't check in. It was clear from his tone that he expected a full report of any and all information they gathered thus far. Unfortunately, after two days of activity, they had little to report.

"That girl is full of surprises," Wally said dejectedly as he sank into his seat, "I would have never guessed she was a card shark."

Robin grinned and let out his signature chuckle. "Maybe to the guy who didn't win a single hand."

"You didn't come out on top either, boy wonder," Wally countered.

"At least, this venture was not a complete loss," Kaldur mused aloud, "We did learn a few things about her."

Wally snorted and counted them all, holding up a finger for each one he said.

"Let's see: her favorite color's red, her favorite food's oden, and her favorite pastime's being Kazuo Higurashi, cross dressing, street fighter extraordinaire! It's not the most helpful intel if you ask me."

"Maybe," Robin commented, "I don't know about you guys, but I don't believe she just picked up those moves without any training."

"Indeed," Kaldur added, "Her form is clearly practiced. Her opponents may not have been competent, but I am certain Kagome could perform well against a more skilled challenger."

Robin nodded. "She could definitely hold her own against a pro! I would love to see her go head to head with Black Canary. Or, better yet, Artemis."

"Yeah, Kagome's got all the fire and drive with none of the attitude," Wally pointed out wryly, "So, as of right now, the Kagome we know is a mild-mannered schoolgirl by day and a vigilante drag king by midafternoon?"

"I think there's more to it than that," Kaldur mentioned, "but it is all we have to go on."

"There's also something else that's bugging me," Robin added, "The way Yoshikuni addressed her before wasn't exactly normal."

"You mean when he called her 'Kaa-san'?" Wally asked, "I thought it was just a nickname."

"As did I," Kaldur stated.

"It could be, but I doubt it," Robin replied, "When that title is given to someone, it usually means something else."

"What?" Kaldur asked, wondering how such a small detail could be so important.

"'Kaa-san' is short for 'okaa-san', the informal, Japanese title for one's mother," Robin explained.

"I see. That's an odd nickname for someone who is obviously younger than you," Kaldur reasoned.

"Maybe not," Wally added with a shrug of his shoulders, "I didn't need to see much of that guy to know he's more than a little immature. I can picture her keeping him in line."

"If that were true," Robin began, "it would be more likely for him to call her 'nee-san', older sister, instead."

"What do we know about Yoshikuni and Toboso's relationship outside of their business ventures?" Kaldur asked, "If we can figure that out, we might be able to decipher his connection to Kagome."

Robin shook his head.

"Wally and I tried getting more info yesterday, but anyone with even the most obscure connection to Toboso has little to no data available to the general public or the most seasoned hackers. All we know is Yoshikuni married Toboso's daughter before he announced Kagome as his ward. We can only assume they all knew each other prior to both of those events, but, after tonight, I'd say that's a given."

"Strange," Kaldur commented, "Even if we are reading into this too much, it is clear that they have something to hide."

He closed his eyes in thought, taking a deep, calming breath.

"It all seems too bizarre. Why would Toboso suggest Kagome as a possible recruit for the Team only to place so many obstacles in the way of that final goal? Or, better still, why does Toboso's suggestion have so much influence with the League?"

"We better find out soon," Robin retorted seriously, "or I have a feeling things involving Kagome are gonna end up a totally aster, real heavy on the dis."

"You got that right," Wally added, "Maybe if we get close enough to finding that out, it'll make Kagome switch to hero mode, and we can head back to the Cave before the week is out."

Kaldur sighed and tiredly opened his eyes.

"That would make our job way too easy."

-O0o0O-

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> punkish_furball – Well, that was fun! XD
> 
> Anyway, if you have any questions? Comments? Words of Wisdom? Feel free to contact me! I'll update as soon as I can! Until next time, TCB! ^.^
> 
> (revised 08.02.2013)


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> punkish_furball – Hey, guys! ^.^
> 
> Words to Ponder:
> 
> Hello, everyone! Pardon the delay. I've been catching up on Young Justice: Invasion and InuYasha: Final Act (both wonderful might I add) while starting my last semester at my university. I'll be pretty busy but hopefully I can still get some writing done. Spring commencement here I come! XD
> 
> Thank you for reviewing: Bishonen'sFoxyMiko, falcon1loam, Happy Reader, UnstableFable, Life Is Like An Hourglass, redangel2463, kakashixangela (2x), inuluvskags1, Applejax XD, Ground-Cinnamon, Dark Priestess66, Molly Grace 16, MyworldMyImagination, Inu-'SIT'-loveKage, SouthParkRules642, MyraBrown, Samantha Rice, martika25, lightfirefox, Jayne, Sognatori's Last Dragon, JoWashington, and callmeBaby'08 from FF.net! X3

**Chapter 3**

_**Saturday, June 5, 2010** _

"Ohayo, Higurashi-chan!"

Kagome mentally groaned when she heard Hinako approach her desk. She hoped she'd have a little more time before the chipper girl confronted her today, but that clearly wasn't be the case. She was positive Hinako would bring up the upcoming archery competition yet again.

"Harada-san," she dryly greeted her.

"Oh, don't say my name like that, Higurashi-chan!" Hinako said with a casual wave of her hand, "We're friends, aren't we?"

"I guess so," Kagome replied, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to ask about your boyfriend," she slyly answered, "He's a foreigner, isn't he?"

"Boyfriend?" Kagome squeaked as her face blanched, "What in the world are you talking about?"

"There's no need to be so secretive about it!" Hinako said with a giggle, "I did see the two of you together after all."

'She must be talking about Kaldur-kun,' Kagome thought. She hoped Hinako forgot all about their chance meeting from the other day before now, or at least didn't feel the need to bring it up again. It seemed she would have no such luck.

"Kaldur-kun is not—" Kagome tried to explain but was cut off by another classmate who sat in front of her.

"Higurashi-san has a boyfriend?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yep!" Hinako answered, "It's a bit surprising, right? She acts so quiet at school. You wouldn't expect her to have one."

"But guys do like those pretty, reserved girls, don't they?" the other girl mused, "I bet Higurashi-san has a few admirers."

"Has anyone confessed to her recently?"

"I'm not sure about that," Hinako stated, "The boy I saw her with doesn't go to our school. He looked a foreigner, a really cute one too!"

"So she has a foreign boyfriend."

"They must have met through her guardian, Toboso-san."

"Is that so? I bet Higurashi-chan meets a lot of cute boys from all sorts of places."

"How exciting!"

"And romantic!"

Kagome groaned and dropped her head on her desk, resting it on top of her folded arms. She tried in vain to drown out the chatter of her female peers as they continued to speculate the origins of her so-called boyfriend. Had she known her school day would start off with her as the subject of this morning's latest gossip, she would have stayed in bed.

-O0o0O-

"Is this the place?" Wally asked Dick as they stood in front of a large school building.

It was noon, and the two of them arrived at Kagome's school to pick her up. Kaldur would have accompanied them, but he was preoccupied giving their full report to Wayne.

"I'd hate for you to get us lost again," Wally added cheekily.

"Don't worry. This is the right place," Dick retorted with a snort, "Kagome's high school, Fujime High."

"Just making sure," he quipped, "Kagome did say she'd be out at noon, right?"

"Yeah. Too bad Kaldur couldn't join us."

"Like you'd rather be the one reporting to Batman in his place."

"As if! You guys seem to forget I have to live with the guy. I'll take any break I can get."

"Whatever, Boy Wonder," Wally said as he leaned against the gate, "So do we just wait for her to come out?"

"Pretty much," Dick answered with a shrug of his shoulders, "Sitting still will do you some good."

"Says the guy with a habit of disappearing at every turn."

After a few more minutes, the two heard the school bell rang and saw students rushing outside. Dick and Wally maintained their position by the gate as they waited for Kagome to emerge with the other teens.

"I think I see her," Wally announced.

"That's her alright," Dick added before he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out her name.

"Hey, Kagome! We're over here!"

At the sound of her name, Kagome stopped in front of the school building and squinted in the direction of its entrance.

"Wally-kun? Richard-kun?" she questioned aloud, alerting the attention of the others around her.

"Hinako-chan, is one of those boys Higurashi-chan's boyfriend?"

Hinako hummed thoughtfully as she looked toward the front gate. "Nope, neither one is the boy I saw her with before."

"Really? But it looks like they're here to pick her up."

"Could it be…?"

"It looks like Higurashi-chan is a player!"

"Wait! It's not like that!" Kagome protested, but no one would listen.

"Don't you know? Those pretty, reserved girls always keep boys at their beck and call."

"That's so unfair! And they're both so cute too."

Kagome cast an icy glare in Hinako's direction before the girl could sneak away. She cringed when Kagome had her in her sights.

"Well," Hinako shakily began, "I have to get to archery club. The tournament is Monday so I gotta practice, practice, practice!  _Sayonara_ , everyone!"

Now that Hinako was gone, Kagome shot forward and ran passed Dick and Wally without stopping.

"Kagome?"

"Follow me!" she yelled over her shoulder, continuing to run.

The two boys followed her without question. Once Kagome was satisfied with the distance between her and her school, she slowed down to a walk with Wally and Dick at her side.

"What was all that about?" Wally asked.

"I just wanted to outrun all the gossip," Kagome answered, "I had to put up with it since this morning. I can't stand it!"

"Gossip?" Dick repeated, "Were they talking about you?"

Kagome sheepishly tugged at the sleeves of her jacket.

"It's a long story." She hummed as she curiously noted Kaldur's absence.

"So it's just the two of you. Where's Kaldur-kun?"

"He's having a chat with his mentor," Dick answered, "He'll meet up with us later."

"Really?" she uttered, "There isn't anything wrong, is there?"

"Not really," Dick told her with a grin, "So far everything's pretty aster."

"You used that word again. I've never heard it before. Is it some sort of American slang?"

Wally burst out laughing. "Not likely! Rob's the only weirdo who says that."

"'Rob'?" Kagome repeated, furrowing her eyebrows together, "But I thought your name was 'Richard'."

"It is!" Dick assured her though his voice was unsteady, "'Rob' is just another nickname like 'Dick', right, Kid Mouth?" He roughly elbowed Wally in the stomach making him double over.

"Oh yeah!" he began to explain with a slightly uneasy look on his face, "It's just one of those names guys give to their bros, ya know. You don't even need to remember it, okay, Kagome?"

"If you say so," she replied slowly, eager to put the strange occurrence behind her, "So, you guys hungry?"

"Starved!" Wally exclaimed with Dick nodding in agreement.

"Great! I know a really good ramen stand near here. It'll be my treat!"

"Lead the way!" Dick stated. When Kagome walked ahead of them, he nudged Wally in the stomach again.

"Ouch!" Wally hissed, "I got the point the first time!"

"Then act like it!" he countered, "Don't blow our cover again!"

"As if she knows who we really are! She totally bought what I said," Wally stated, "Besides, she's going to find out about the whole 'Robin' thing anyway."

"Not necessarily. She's not part of the Team," Dick reminded him.

"Yet," Wally cheekily added.

"Hey!" Kagome shouted, drawing the attention of the two boys far behind her, "If you don't catch up, I'm leaving the both of you!"

"Coming!"

-O0o0O-

"Is this all you have to report?" Batman asked Kaldur, his voice monotone and clear.

"Yes," Kaldur said.

"Very well," he stated, "I suggest you find out more about her fighting skills. It seems to be your only lead. Work quickly. Your timeline is short."

"I understand."

As much as he didn't like it, Kaldur expected this type of reaction from Batman. He was not pleased with the meager amount of data on Kagome and her abilities, but it couldn't be helped. Kaldur didn't even bother to present the speculation on any psychic abilities Kagome supposedly possessed.

"While you are here," Batman began, retrieving and opening his laptop, "There is something else I want to bring to your attention."

Kaldur nodded and waited for Batman to continue. The older man signed into his PC and opened a file containing a series of crime scene photos, displaying them on the monitor. Adjacent to that was a browser window open to a specific online newspaper article. Kaldur didn't understand the Japanese characters the article was written in, but its photographs depicted female bodies uncovered from obscure hiding places and arranged in the fetal position with the left side of their faces planted on the ground.

"There have been instances of female abductions and disappearances in the Shizuoka prefecture surrounding the particular area we're in," Batman began to explain, "They began in remote regions but have since occurred in more densely populated areas and are closing in on this city."

"What have the police gathered on the investigation?" Kaldur inquired.

"They have determined the culprit's pattern and deemed him a serial abductor who targets women in their early teens to mid-thirties. He succeeds in abducting a target without witnesses and keeps her for several days. Then he discards the body in an unconscious state and moves on to another victim. The recovered victims are alive and mostly unharmed but are unresponsive to any medical treatment and have yet to regain consciousness."

Batman enlarged an image one of the victim's faces and brought attention to a mark underneath her left ear. "The only anomaly found during the medical examinations is this marking located in the same spot on each victim. This information has not been reported to the general public."

Kaldur carefully examined the mark. It was a small, three spirals interlocked at the same origin colored a dark, repulsive shade of green.

"It looks like a tattoo," he commented, "Are there any groups or organizations affiliated with this symbol?"

"As of now, there seems to be no such link between the mark and active gangs or previous attacks," Batman answered.

"I see. What do you want us to do concerning this situation?" Kaldur asked, expecting for Batman to assign them another mission. They may not be in their usual stomping grounds, but it was the League's responsibility to respond to any type of distress.

"Stay alert but do not act," Batman instructed, "The task force assigned to this case is making adequate progress without our involvement."

"Very well," Kaldur responded, "I will inform the others."

Batman nodded and returned to work. "You are dismissed."

Kaldur left their meeting place and reached into his pocket for his cellphone, one he obtained specifically for this trip. He and the others couldn't be seen using their communicators or any other advanced tech, or it would raise unnecessary suspicion. He dialed Robin's number and waited for him to answer.

" _Moshi_   _moshi_?"

"Kagome?" Kaldur said, surprised to hear the girl on the other line, "It's me, Kaldur."

"Hi, Kaldur-kun!" she cried happily, "Have you finished meeting with your mentor? Nothing's wrong, right?"

Kaldur smiled; Kagome's apparent concern of him was very sweet. "Yes, and all is well. I take it you met up with Richard and Wally?"

"Yes, they picked me up when school let out," Kagome answered, "We were passing time until you were available and ended up at the beach. You remember where it is, right?"

"I do," Kaldur responded, "I will meet you there shortly."

"Okay. We'll be waiting for you, so don't get lost sight seeing!"

Kaldur chuckled. "I promise that will not happen. I will see you soon, Kagome."

"Alright. Bye, Kaldur-kun!"

-O0o0O-

"Hey, Sesshomaru," Kagome said as she waltzed into the demon's office and took a seat. When she returned home from her latest excursion with Kaldur, Wally, and Dick, Jaken told her the dog demon wanted to see her as soon as possible.

"What's up?" she continued, waiting for him to respond.

"Intelligence has informed me about a recent demonic incident," Sesshomaru stated.

"Really?"

Centuries ago when demonic numbers began to diminish as the human population increased at an exponential rate, drastic measures of which Sesshomaru and many other powerful  _daiyōkai_  were acted to salvage what _yōkai_  populations remained worldwide. Essentially, all  _yōkai_  were relocated in an alternate dimension and resumed existence in a separate plane from the mortal and spiritual realms sealed within a powerful barrier. Shortly after being separated, demonic populations began to flourish once more, setting up their own territories and governing mechanisms. Those who openly resisted the relocation were swiftly dealt with by any means necessary.

However, more powerful beings such as Sesshomaru and Shippo pursued lives in the human realm alongside for whatever purposes they desired. Because of this, there were strict rules and regulations for  _yōkai_  that continued to live amongst humans. Any who violated these laws or those who entered the human realm without proper clearance were immediately located, captured, and punished accordingly for their crimes. Sesshomaru, who still retained the rights to his land in western Japan, was constantly informed of any infractions and played a major role in their subsequent punishment.

Sesshomaru nodded and explained, "Several human women have been found unconscious after disappearing for several days. It looks like the work of a rogue parasite demon."

"That makes sense," Kagome deduced, "Normally, a parasite will invade a host body and spread the infection to others while they feed on their current host. If the women were found unconscious, it must have finished feeding from them and moved onto other victims."

She grimaced. If that were the case, the victims were surely dead.

'But Sesshomaru didn't mention any fatalities,' Kagome thought and waited for him to continue.

"Indeed," Sesshomaru replied, "Because of that mode of infection, a parasite's victims are generally in its close proximity. However, this parasite is creating an irregular pattern." He handed Kagome a newspaper that was sitting on top of his desk.

Kagome took it and read underneath the relevant headline. As Sesshomaru said, the pattern determined by the police investigators was not typical for most parasites.

"This one looks like it's making a direct path to the city."

"Precisely. Because of this irregular pattern, we have decided that, instead of infecting a single host and spreading the infection to others while maintaining a single body, this parasite transfers from body to body without feeding and leaves each former host in a catatonic state. This explains why the victims the police recovered have not perished."

"So it's looking for the perfect host?" Kagome suggested weakly.

"Perhaps," Sesshomaru commented, "Because of this development, I believe it would be in your best interest to refrain from traveling at night without an escort. I'm aware you are capable of defending yourself, but this parasite is unpredictable. Take every precaution until this criminal has been apprehended."

"Come on, Sesshomaru!" Kagome exclaimed with a goofy grin, "I won't do anything stupid like that. You know me!"

He gave her a blank, knowing stare. "I do know you, hence the reason I warned you. Stay put."

"Fine. I'll stay put," she relented with a groan before she stood and retreated to her room. As soon as she left, Shippo walked passed her and entered Sesshomaru's office with a phone in his hands.

"Yes?" Sesshomaru asked when he saw the kit.

"Wayne-san is on the line for you," Shippo answered.

"Take a message," Sesshomaru instructed before returning to his work, "If he persists, I am sure you can handle it."

"Of course, my Lord Sesshomaru. How could we possibly function without your great wisdom?" Shippo remarked sarcastically before pressing the phone to his ear as he walked out of Sesshomaru's office.

"It seems like Toboso-san is indisposed at the moment," he told Wayne on the other end of the line, "Perhaps I could be of some assistance? Or maybe you'd like to leave a message?"

"Thank you," Wayne replied, "but that won't be necessary. I'll contact Toboso-san at another time."

"Very well. And, before you let me go, let me say that Kagome has enjoyed spending time with your ward and his friends. She's looking forward to their next meeting."

"Wonderful. The feeling is indeed mutual."

"That's good to hear. Good day, Wayne-san."

Shippo grinned at the phone before placing it on its original receiver. Rin walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around her husband's waist.

"What are you up to?" she asked him suspiciously.

"Rin, my love," Shippo replied, "What are you talking about?"

"You can't fool me!" she exclaimed, tightening her grip, "You and I are the original trouble makers, so I always know when you're up to something."

"You wound me, dear wife," Shippo said as he turned around in Rin's arms and pulled her tightly to him, "You and I both know my mischief making days are far behind me. I'm merely stirring the pot a little. No harm done."

"Of course, dear husband," Rin chimed, "How foolish of me to suggest otherwise! Especially after Sesshomaru told Kagome about that pesky parasite demon."

Shippo grinned mischievously. "Yes, dear wife. Surely, nothing will go wrong."

-O0o0O-

Batman curiously stared at the phone after Yoshikuni hung up on him. He wasn't sure, but it seemed like he was trying to send him a subtle message.

'It's more like a taunt,' he reasoned.

He called the boys into his room to tell them about it. He could be concerned for nothing, but, if this was another obstacle Toboso placed in their way, the boys needed to be aware of it.

"You want to see us?" Robin asked when he, Wally, and Kaldur walked into the room.

"Concerning your next meeting with Kagome," he began somberly, "is there anything about it that stands out from the others?"

"Nothing in particular," Wally answered, "We're just meeting up with her again after school on Monday."

"I believe there might be an archery competition on the same day," Kaldur added, "Kagome did not express any interest in attending it."

"Other than that, nothing really seems out of the ordinary," Robin remarked, "Is there something we should be looking out for?"

"Perhaps," Bruce mentioned, "My worries might be unfounded, but it might be in your best interest to be prepared for anything to go awry."

"Understood."

-O0o0O-

"Higurashi-san."

Kagome looked up when she heard her name. She was addressed by an upperclassman, Chie Sakamoto, president of the school's archery club. At first, Kagome thought she wanted to talk about the tournament, but the subdued look on her face dismissed those thoughts. Whatever she wanted to talk about had to be important for her to seek her out during their lunch period.

"Sakamoto-san," Kagome began politely as she pushed her bento aside, "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to know if Hinako-chan was in class today," she answered.

"Harada-san?" Kagome repeated, "She was absent this morning. I haven't seen her in a few days." She frowned. "Do you think something happened to her?"

"I'm not sure," Chie explained, "No one has seen Hinako-chan since our Saturday archery practice. I called her parents, but they said she didn't return home that evening, so we've been asking around to see if someone's seen her."

"But today is the day of the archery competition," Kagome mused, slowly becoming concerned, "Harada-san wouldn't miss that no matter what."

"That's why we're so worried," Chie said with a sad look on her face, "Could you keep your eyes open just in case she decides to show up?"

"No problem," Kagome replied without a second thought, "I'll let you know if I see anything."

"Thanks, Higurashi-san." Chie bowed before leaving the classroom to search for more information.

'It seems like something awful happened to Harada-san,' Kagome thought, absently fingering her chopsticks, 'I might be overreacting, but there's no harm in checking into this. Gang activity has been pretty quiet after that fight with the Black Mantis, so I can rule any of them as culprits for her disappearance.' She thoughtfully pursed her lips together and placed the chopsticks inside her lunch box along with her half eaten meal.

'The parasite could be related to Harada-san's sudden absence. It's been more than enough time for it to infect her and leave her body behind.'

Kagome packed up her bento and placed it in her backpack. She stood and pulled on her jacket; the forecast said it would cool like the day before and possibly rain. After hoisting her bag on her shoulder, Kagome approached her teacher who also had lunch in the classroom when he wasn't busy with any projects.

"Sensei?" she asked him.

"Yes, Higurashi-chan?" he responded.

"I need to make a call to my guardian," Kagome stated, her concern for Hinako overriding her horrid lying skills, "I believe there is something he needs me to take care of, and I might need to leave class for the day."

"Of course," her instructor answered, "Toboso-san already informed us that something like this would come up from time to time. Just be careful, and don't wander around too much. Because of the recent string of disappearances, we're advising everyone to be alert."

"I understand. Thank you, sensei." Kagome bowed before leaving the classroom. She bypassed the front office and safely placed her bag in her locker before she left the school grounds. Right now, all her attention was focused on finding Hinako, and all of her other obligations were pushed to the back of her mind.

'I should be able to detect Harada-san's aura in addition to any demonic activity around the city,' Kagome thought, 'If the parasite is responsible for her disappearance, I wonder where she came in contact with it in the first place.' She paused on the sidewalk as she thought of a possible location.

'I'll try the park first. It's a public place, so it would be very easy to infect someone there. And Harada-san could have cut through it on her way home.'

Kagome continued walking until she reached Shizuoka's largest park. Once there, she began to cover as much of the grounds and all adjacent structures as she could. After an hour or two searching, Kagome found no signs of Hinako or parasitic activity.

'Not even one trace of demonic aura,' Kagome thought, irritated, 'Either it's not here or it's taking extreme measures to conceal itself. More than you would expect from an ordinary parasite.'

She shook her head. 'I'm not supposed to be looking for the parasite; I should be more focused on Harada-san. Maybe I should try looking closer to her home next. I think I'm done here.'

Before Kagome could change course, something faintly tugged at her senses as she approached the southern exit of the park. She turned sharply and headed straight for a row of densely grown flora surrounding a manmade pond. When she reached it, she fell to her knees and began searching through the bushes. It wasn't long before she found a female body curled into a tight ball, carefully hidden amongst the branches.

"Harada-san!" Kagome exclaimed and ran back to the main pathway. Her shouting alerted the attention of some passersby as she asked anyone she could for help.

"What is it?" a concerned woman asked once she got her attention.

"Call an ambulance! I've found someone unconscious in the bushes."

When the surrounding people rushed to Harada's aid, Kagome took advantage of their combined inattention to gently tilt Hinako's head and sneak a peek underneath her left ear. When she found what she was looking for, she shrunk away from the group and left the park. With Hinako found and the paramedics on the way, there was nothing more Kagome could do here.

'The mark of the parasite is still fresh. It can't have gone too far. I have to find it!'

-O0o0O-

"It looks overcast," Kaldur commented, observing the sky as the trio approached Kagome's school, "I think it might rain soon."

"Not another rainy day," Dick whined.

"At least we'll get to spend it with Kagome, right, Kaldur?" Wally remarked, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

In a rare show of annoyance, the Atlantean teen rolled his eyes. "Funny."

He turned his attention to Fujime High, curiously noting the condition of the school.

"Something is wrong," Kaldur assessed, "There should be more people here for the archery competition."

"Yeah," Dick added, "It looks pretty deserted. We should at least see Kagome waiting for us."

Wally shrugged. "Let's have a look. She could still be in class or something."

The three boys walked onto campus and ran into a group of girls leaving the school building. Dick stopped them, intending to ask about Kagome's whereabouts.

"Excuse me," he began politely, "but do you know where a girl named Higurashi Kagome is? We're supposed to meet her."

"Higurashi-chan?" one of the girls repeated, "I heard she left class early this afternoon."

"Even if she didn't, school is the last place she would be right now," another added, "One of the archery club members from our school has been hospitalized. Because of that, we were all dismissed and the tournament was cancelled."

"What happened to her?" Dick asked, appearing genuinely concern. Kaldur mentioned his conversation with Batman involving the recent string of female disappearances. This girl could have been the latest victim.

"Harada-san's been missing for a few days, and someone found her in the park this afternoon." The girl thoughtfully pursed her lips together.

"Come to think of it, everyone's been saying the person who found her was from our school."

"Are you sure?" Dick asked suspiciously.

'A missing girl that goes to the same school as Kagome was found and hospitalized on the same day we can't find her…' he mused but dismissed those thoughts. They wouldn't get any closer to finding Kagome if he immediately jumped to conclusions. Still, Kagome did have her rough, male persona. Perhaps keeping gang activity in check wasn't her only self-proclaimed task.

Before the girls could continue the conversation, one of the school's officials emerged from the building, frowning at the combined group of teens.

"You shouldn't be on school grounds," he told them all sternly, "A state of alert has been declared for the city, and a curfew has been put into place."

"Sorry, sensei," the girls chorused before rushing passed Dick, Wally, and Kaldur.

Taking the lead, Dick walked toward the school's main gate with Kaldur and Wally in tow. He continued until he led them to an alley where they wouldn't be seen or interrupted.

"So what's the word?" Wally questioned.

"The archery competition's been cancelled," Dick informed them, "One of the students who was supposed to compete disappeared a few days ago and was found this afternoon. It looks like there might be foul play involved because a state of emergency has been declared."

"And Kagome?" Kaldur probed.

"As for her, she's gone AWOL," Dick answered, "I'm not sure, but I think it might be related. According to those girls, she left early in the afternoon, and the missing girl was found by someone from their school shortly after that."

"Seriously?" Wally exclaimed, "I guess Yoshikuni really did jinx us."

"It might be a long shot, but it's the only lead we have right now," Kaldur deduced, "Even if it is true, too much time has passed. Kagome would not be in the same location now."

"You're right," Dick retorted with a wide grin, "But I can find out where she is."

He pulled back the sleeve of his hoodie, revealing his wrist communicator. He quickly pulled up its holographic, virtual screen and began rapidly accessing its information.

"What are you doing?" Wally asked him suspiciously.

"Bringing up Kagome's position," Dick answered with a cheeky grin.

"Wait," Kaldur began doubtfully, "Did you—?"

"I planted a tracking device on her jacket when she took us to the beach. The weather's been a bit unkind lately, so I suspected she'd wear it for a while," Dick answered, cutting him off, "It's microscopic and fully functional."

"So where is she?" Kaldur asked, ignoring the extreme violation of Kagome's privacy.

Dick hummed as he scanned through coordinates cataloging Kagome's position. "Nowhere near the manor or the school. Looks like she's about a few hundred meters east from here. According to these transmissions, she's still moving."

"Where's she headed?" Wally asked.

"Not sure, but I'd say she's going for the city limits," Dick answered before minimizing the screen and pulling his sleeve back into place.

"It shouldn't take us long to reach her on foot," he added. Wally and Kaldur both nodded.

"Let's get moving."

-O0o0O-

'This had better be worth it,' Kagome thought when she felt a drop of rain hit her nose. She paused to pull her jacket's hood over her head and continued walking. After she left the park, Kagome wandered around the city until she picked up the parasite's demonic aura. She followed its trail to the edge of town in a woodsy, underdeveloped area. She quickly entered the thicket and began navigating through the hibiscus plant life. To her dismay, it was taking her much longer than expected to find the parasite. Dusk was approaching, and the sky was dark with storm brewing clouds.

'I might have taken on a little more than I could handle,' Kagome mused in hindsight, 'I guess it's too late to turn back now. I might as well finish what I started.'

Kagome continued walking as the rain fell around her, producing a light drizzle. She halted when a monotone, warped voice of a female called out to her.

"I hear you, miko. There's no point in hiding from me."

"Who's hiding?" Kagome remarked as she stepped into the clearing and faced her addresser, a girl around her age with pale skin and dull eyes.

"Since I came out, don't you think you should do the same?" Kagome requested with her arms planted on her hips, "It's only polite for me to see who I'm talking to."

The girl before her grinned as her jaw slacked and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Out of her left ear, a thin, vine like appendage colored a slimy, sickly green emerged. As it elongated and thickened, more and more began to join it. The green projections intertwined and took the shape of a misshapen head with bulbous yellow eyes, a gnarled mouth with sparsely spaced teeth, and two floppy protrusions on its scalp. It began to speak, the girl's mouth moving in tandem with its own. Its voice was rough and scratchy with a slight, distorted accent.

"Sorry to have you out in the rain, miko," the parasite told Kagome with a sickeningly sweet grin, "I wasn't expecting to have company this evening."

"Not a problem," Kagome replied, "Just tell me what brings you to a place like this. Jumping from host to host isn't standard parasite protocol."

"Brilliant, isn't it?" the creature remarked, "The body of a human is much easier to conquer than that of a demon. The body of a human woman even more so. But it's far weaker, easier to destroy, cannot take much stra—"

"I get it," Kagome cut it off wryly, "What's your point?"

The parasite chuckled before it continued. "Very well, miko. Controlling one human body, sending out spores to take others, and having to contend with their remaining free will are very tedious tasks. To fully utilize a human form, one must command large numbers and eliminate that persistent notion of individual will. However, that goes against the inherent infection mechanism of my species."

The creature paused as the speed and intensity of the rain increased.

"Transferring my body from one host to another and imprinting them with my demonic presence is the perfect solution. My previous vessels are ready and waiting until I locate a host capable of commanding them all."

"So you're gathering followers without a conscious mind of their own until you can control them all at once," Kagome deduced, sneering, "You'll feed on all of them at the same time and create your own personal army, right?"

Thunder cracked and the rain began to fall in thick, blinding sheets.

"As I said, brilliant. Purely brilliant," the creature praised itself, cackling manically, "Even more brilliant is your appearance, priestess. I hoped to gather more host bodies before I entered the next phase in my plan, but I doubt I'll happen upon someone as powerful as you. Then again, who knows? Perhaps I'll find another untrained brat to take your place once you're mine."

"Untrained, huh? You're underestimating me."

Kagome smirked and let her aura flare around her, creating a large crackling mass of pure pink energy. The parasite visibly shrank back at her effective display of power but did not flee.

"So you know a few tricks, eh? Then you should know that as long as I'm connected to my current host body, if I should die then it will as well. I also am not certain what would happen to the others I infected. You might want to be more careful when you're showing off. I'd hate for you to have innocent blood on your hands, priestess."

The parasite's form retracted into its safe haven inside the girl's skull. Once it was inside and under full control, it used her body to dash forward with a gurgling battle cry. Kagome reacted to the assault and blocked it with her forearms crossed in front of her face. The parasite did not stop and relentlessly launched a series of fierce frontal attacks with elongated, razor-sharp nails. Kagome remained on the defensive, dodging and maneuvering around most of the close assaults, huffing when some of the hits made contact. The human girl's body was considerably stronger under the parasite's control. Its presence also heightened her other senses, making her sight and speed in the rainy conditions for above Kagome's.

'I can't keep this up for long!' Kagome thought as she avoided another attack.

When her opportunity to take the offensive came, Kagome punched the girl in the jaw while simultaneously dodging a blow to her stomach. The parasite hybrid was thrown backward, slipping on the slick ground beneath its feet. Using this to her advantage, Kagome knocked the hybrid off its feet and broke into a run, weaving through the trees and putting as much distance as she could between her and the parasite. She needed more time to come up with a winning strategy.

As she ran, her jacket snagged on a branch, cutting her arm and ripping off her sleeve, but Kagome didn't pause her sprint. Behind her, the parasite enhanced girl already recovered and was closing in.

'I can't purify the damn thing as long as it's attached to the girl or she'll die' Kagome thought, trying to devise a plan, 'And it's so hard to fight in this forest. I could try luring it away from here, but it might switch bodies once we run into other people.'

As troublesome as it was to fight in this kind of terrain, it was the safest place for the battle to take place. There was no one to interfere here.

'I can't keep this up either or we'll both be pushed to exhaustion. The strain will kill her and the parasite will escape.'

Abruptly, Kagome cried out and fell to the ground when sharp talons pierce her back. She groaned when she was roughly flipped onto her back, the mud and clay mixing with the blood gushing from her wounds. The parasite was on top of her, smirking as it flicked its blood drenched nails. Kagome winced at the sight; the parasite was asserting more control over the girl. Soon, the two of them would not be distinguishable from each other.

"It seems I had to damage my potential new host," it taunted Kagome, gently dragging a claw along her mud spattered cheek, "It's a pity you're much more trouble than your body is worth. At least I avoided any major blood vessels. It wouldn't be satisfying if you died from blood loss before I've had a little more fun."

Using its talons, the parasite stabbed Kagome's shoulder and twisted its fingers in the newly formed wounds, grinning when Kagome cried out in pain and desperately clutched the ground beneath them. When it was satisfied, the parasite withdrew its hand, bringing it to its lips to lick the blood away. Then it grasped Kagome's shirt, ripping the stained fabric from her body.

The parasite positioned its talons above Kagome's heart, hissing as it whispered. "Farewell, miko."

"Farewell, yourself!"

Kagome splashed a mixture of blood and mud into the girl's eyes, blinding the hybrid creature. When it was distracted, she pushed it off and reversed their positions, straddling the creature around the waist.

"Don't act so dramatic," Kagome grunted as the creature continued to writhe and howl, "Miko blood being deadly to  _yōkai_  is an old wives' tale. This, however, is going to hurt."

She pressed both of her palms to the creature's face and willed her energy to emerge in a large, bright burst. The parasite shrieked in pain as its flesh began to sizzle and burn. Kagome kept her grasp strong and firm no matter how the creature tried to throw her off, slowing destroying the girl's face.

"Damn you, whore!"

To escape its demise, the parasite slithered from the girl's cranium and onto the mud. Before it could get away, Kagome grasped one of its slimy protrusions, holding its body in place. Without the protective shell of its host, the parasite was completely vulnerable.

"What's the point in killing me now?" it cried, "You've already killed them all! You fool!"

"Shows how much you know," Kagome retorted, grinning despite her appearance.

"Wha…?" The parasite went completely rigid when the girl's erratic breathing met his ears. She was injured and partially purified but still alive.

Kagome smirked victoriously. "I knew you'd jump ship the moment I threatened your precious host body. Parasites always do. Now die!"

The demon howled as it was reduced to a pile of ashes, mixing with the mud and rain. When Kagome was done with the purification, she let out a deep breath as she carefully slid from the girl's body.

"What a pain in the ass," she thought aloud, "There's only one thing left to do now."

Kagome turned to the girl who was now completely parasite free and had no signs of its marking. She cringed as she placed her dirty hands around her charred and blistered face. She didn't mean to do that much damage to her, only enough to make the parasite flee.

"I'm truly sorry for hurting you," Kagome whispered, feeling extremely repentant, "Your pain won't last much longer."

She closed her eyes and concentrated on healing the wounds she inflicted. The damage was extensive and would take the remainder of her available energy to repair without leaving any scars. Undeterred, Kagome continued and succeeded in erasing all physical reminders of this terrible ordeal.

When she was done, Kagome took several deep gulps of air, shivering in the freezing rain. She was cold and tired, but the job still wasn't done. She needed to get herself and the other girl to safety and call for help. Slowly, she hooked her arm under the girl's arms, holding her as tightly as she could. Kagome stood, trying to balance on the slippery earth encumbered with the girl's added weight. When she was somewhat steady, she began hobbling forward as fast as she could.

"I have to keep going," she mumbled, repeating that mantra as she sloshed around in the mud. However, she wasn't making much progress. The slick ground combined with the dense flora and overbearing rain made walking nearly impossible.

Kagome cried out when she fell forward and lost grip of the girl she held, tripping over a tree root and losing her shoes. However, instead of feeling the cool mass of mud and rain water below, Kagome landed against a damp but warm body. Without warning, it scooped her up, hooking its arms underneath her legs and gently pressing her head against its chest, propping it under its chin. Her vision was blurred, and she heard muffled voices speaking around her in hushed tones.

"So…tired…"

All Kagome wanted to do was fall asleep until the aches and pains went away and continue soaking up the comforting heat the lithe body that held her provided. So she did.

-O0o0O-

Robin gently smoothed over the blanket he pulled up to Kagome's chin. She warmed considerably after he and the others brought her inside, but the doctor told them to make sure she maintained her body temperature. All the money and connections that came with the Wayne name certainly worked in their favor. The private doctor Robin called after they reached their hotel room tended to Kagome's wounds without alerting the paramedics, who obtained the other girl and brought her to the hospital, of her condition and was sworn to keep this visit a secret.

The good doctor cleaned and bandaged Kagome's wounds with great care and prescribed several medicines for possible infection and pain. Once he was done, he spoke to Robin privately in the room where Kagome rested. After he left, Robin remained in the room, making sure that Kagome was as comfortable as possible before he left to speak with Kaldur and Wally.

Satisfied with her condition, Robin turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"How's she doing?" Wally asked as soon as he saw him. Kaldur also looked at him expectedly.

"She's still unconscious, but all her vitals are stable," Robin answered, instantly seeing relieved looks on their faces, "It looks like she didn't get an infection, but the doc gave her some meds just in case. As soon as we can contact Toboso and Yoshikuni, we'll get her back home."

Wally sighed and reached for his temple, fighting off an oncoming headache. "How are we gonna explain all of this?"

"No idea," Robin answered with a shrug, "Our best bet is to wait for Kagome to wake up."

"In the meantime, we should piece together what we already know," Kaldur added.

"Which isn't much," Wally quipped.

"But at least we know Kagome has some kind of power," Robin countered, taking a seat on the couch next to Kaldur and across from Wally, "Just not what it is or what it does."

"It seems very peculiar," Kaldur commented, "The girl Kagome fought was left virtually unscathed when the paramedics recovered her. But that other creature..."

"She completely annihilated it," Wally stated, "Anyone know what it was?"

"I have never seen anything like it before," Kaldur replied, recalling the appearance of the grotesque creature.

The trio followed the GPS signals from the tracking device planted on Kagome's jacket until they found her ripped sleeve hanging from a broken tree branch. They searched for her until they heard her cry in agony in the distance. In an instant, they headed in the direction of her voice and arrived in time to see Kagome destroy the beast before turning her powers on the girl. They acted the second she collapsed and brought her to their hotel.

"I knew I should have planted an audio bug on her too," Robin said with a pout.

"Well, we heard some of what they said," Wally stated helpfully, "Or, at least, you did."

"Did anything they said stand out?" Kaldur asked.

"Yeah," Robin answered, "Kagome called that thing a 'parasite'."

"That makes sense," Kaldur mused, "That would mean Kagome's opponent was not in complete control of her actions. She knew that and left her unharmed after she destroyed the parasite."

"But how did Kagome know there was a parasite inside her?" Wally brought up, "Do you think she really is a mind reader?"

"Maybe, but I picked up something else," Robin added, "The parasite kept calling Kagome 'miko'."

"Miko?" Kaldur slowly repeated the foreign word, "What does that mean?"

"I wasn't sure at first, so I looked it up while the doc was here," Robin explained, "Essentially, it's the name for a Shinto shrine maiden or priestess."

Kaldur was intrigued by this new information, recalling that Kagome's previous home was a Shinto shrine under her family's surname.

"Were you able to find anything else?" he asked, "Anything that would explain more of what we saw tonight."

"I found a few other sources in my search, but I wouldn't put much stock into them," Robin replied.

"Why?"

"The ones that weren't complete BS said that centuries ago in the Warring States Era of Japan, monks and priestesses had spiritual powers that can detect and destroy monsters called demons."

"Demons?" Wally inquired incredulously, "Are you sure?"

"That's what most of them said," Robin reassured him, "We've heard these old legends before. Most of those stories were cooked up to explain something else like early alien activity on Earth."

"I suppose that's true, but I would not disregard the idea completely," Kaldur stated, "Stranger things have happened."

Unlike his two comrades, Kaldur believed being the descendent of a spiritual being and possessing latent otherworldly powers was a creditable explanation for Kagome's abilities. Atlantean culture contained many tales of the sorcery and magic performed by high priests and priestesses, and he had great faith in the reliability of those stories. After all, his own skills he developed in Atlantis's Conservatory of Sorcery were derivatives of those of similar mystical beings when they evolved to live under the sea.

"So what's it gonna be?" Wally began, changing the subject, "We might not know all the details, but I think we know enough to make a decision. Is Kagome part of the Team or not?"

"She has my vote," Robin answered with a grin, "I like her."

"Of course you do. You did carry her all the way here and tuck her in," Wally remarked with a grin, "Who knew you had a thing for older women?"

"And," Robin added with distinct roll of his eyes, "I'd also like to find out more about her and this miko thing, if it's relevant."

"She had my vote since day one," Wally stated and turned his attention to Kaldur, "Your thoughts, leader?"

"I am with you two," Kaldur replied, "but our mission is not complete just yet."

Wally sighed unhappily. "I had a feeling you were gonna say that."

"Of course he did!" Robin stated matter-of-factly, "We can't just say she's in because we all like her."

"Indeed," Kaldur declared, "We need to fill in the blanks before we present our final decision to Batman and be prepared to defend it before the League and the Team." He sighed, seeming completely exhausted.

"I believe there is only one way to do that before our timeline runs out."

"Well, what's your plan?"

"We must tell Kagome the truth."

-O0o0O-

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> punkish_furball – And that's a wrap! Those were definitely some famous last words before it all hits the fan. Good luck, guys! You'll need it. X3
> 
> (revised 08.15.2013)


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> punkish_furball – Hello, all! XD
> 
> Words to Ponder:
> 
> Oh my goodness! Did anyone else see the ending of Young Justice? The last two episodes were totally awesome and bittersweet at the same time. I'm not gonna give out any spoilers, but the series is amazing and I'm going to miss it. If you haven't finished it, I suggest you do!
> 
> Thank you for reviewing: WhiteDemoness11, KEdakumi, Molly Grace 16, FluffyHanyouEars, Diane, callmeBaby'08, redangel2463, inuluvskags1, The Path of Supreme Conquest (2x), xXGaurdianHeartXx, XxHisLilLoverGirlxX, Jayne, Nini, wolfYLady-MistressWolf-sama, Ground-Cinnamon, Bishonen'sFoxyMiko, NikuDay, Ethorin, ShiTsukisan, Mimiru, heieisbest, Athena's phoenix, itachisdbzgurl, and HannokiKaen from FF.net! X3
> 
> Also, pardon my shameless plug, but I also updated my YuGiOh!/InuYasha crossover, Fragmented Fate. Check it out if you like! XD

**Chapter 4**

_**Wednesday, June 9, 2010** _

Kagome weakly opened her eyes and tried to sit up, grunting when her body resisted. Her stiff muscles and the bandages around her torso, chest, and shoulder prevented her from moving.

"Easy now, Kaa-san."

Before Kagome could speak, Shippo was at her bedside, propping her on top of a few pillows. When she was sufficiently supported, he retrieved a bottle of water from her side table and helped Kagome take a few, slow gulps of the cool liquid.

"You've been out of it for about two days now," he told her as he set the bottle back down, "Even someone like you would still be a little fatigued."

Kagome groaned, slowly placing her hand on her head. "What the hell happened to me?"

"Well," Shippo began, "after you left school without permission, you went looking for that parasite which you were specifically instructed not to do."

"I wasn't trying to find the damn thing," Kagome countered. She paused when Shippo snorted.

"While not at first anyway," she amended, "I found out Harada-san had gone missing during lunch, so I went to look for her. When I found her, she was unconscious and had the parasite's mark. I knew I had to find and destroy it before anyone else got hurt."

"Of course you did," Shippo commented, sounding slightly skeptical, "You'll be pleased to know your friend and all of the other victims are fully recovered. Even the girl you were found with is perfectly well."

"That's right," Kagome stated, recalling she and the girl were practically stranded in the middle of nowhere. It would be difficult for even Shippo or Sesshomaru to find her without knowing the instant she disappeared.

"Who found us? I lost consciousness in the woods just before someone showed up and rescued me and the other girl."

Shippo chuckled. "You must have really been out of it if you couldn't tell!"

"Oh, lay off," Kagome replied, lightly slapping his arm, "I'm not exactly built for running around at night in the pouring rain."

"Well, when you feel up to it, you can thank them personally," he informed her, "But I say you should wait until tomorrow. You still look too pale to have visitors outside the family."

"If you say so," she said with a slight frown, "I guess I don't look my best at the moment."

"As much as I hate to say it, I agree. You're looking pretty rough right now." Shippo stood and skillfully dodged the pillow aimed for his forehead.

"I'd say you're in for another day of rest and homemade soup," he continued with a wide grin.

"Chicken noodle?" Kagome hopefully suggested.

"Of course!" Shippo responded with a firm nod, "Whatever my Kaa-san wants!"

"Thanks," she said before nervously adding, "Rin's not making it, is she?"

Shippo laughed heartily at Kagome's question. He loved his wife dearly, but the woman was a horrid in the kitchen even after centuries of practice.

"For you sake, Jaken has been charged with the task of preparing your meals and personally seeing to your recovery."

Kagome sighed and said a mental prayer, thanking the kami for her good fortune. As disagreeable as Jaken was on a regular basis, cooking was his not so secret passion, and the toad was a fabulous chef.

"You can put a hold on that soup," Kagome said, suppressing a yawn, "I think I'll be taking a little catnap."

Shippo nodded and walked back to the bed to place a kiss on Kagome's forehead.

"I'll leave you to your rest, Kaa-san."

"Oh!" Kagome exclaimed, grabbing hold of Shippo's arm, "Before you go, can you tell me something?"

"Shoot."

"Did Kaldur-kun, Wally-kun, and Richard-kun call or stop by while I was asleep?" she inquired.

Shippo grinned. "Are you missing my potential fathers already?" He wasn't lucky enough to evade Kagome's blow this time.

"It's not like that!" she cried indignantly, "We were supposed to meet up after I got out of school. I don't want them to think I stood them up on purpose or something."

"They showed up at your school to look for you on Monday and have been coming over to check on you ever since you were brought back home," Shippo told her, "They're actually who you should thank for your safe return."

Kagome's eyes widened in shock. "They're the ones who found me? How did they know where I was?"

"You know what they say. Money talks, and Wayne has a lot of it," Shippo answered, "After you didn't show up to meet them, they went looking for you."

"Did they come by today?" she asked pointedly.

"They did, but you were still sleeping," he replied, "They left about an hour ago."

"Oh," Kagome stated, looking very disheartened. With Hinako's disappearance her top priority at the time, she forgot about meeting the three boys after school. She wanted to explain herself to them and hoped they weren't too upset with what transpired.

'I can't believe I let them see me like that!'

"They'll be back tomorrow. So don't get too depressed about it," Shippo said with a reassuring grin.

"Great," Kagome replied with a nod and got more comfortable on her pillows, "See you when I wake up, and you better have my soup and a glass of O.J.!"

"Of course, my dear mother!" Shippo jested before walking to the door and stepping into the hallway. He walked down the corridor to the main foyer of the manor where Kaldur, Dick, and Wally were waiting for him to return.

"Mr. Yoshikuni," Kaldur addressed him, "Is Kagome well enough to receive visitors?"

"I'm afraid not," Shippo answered, "She regained consciousness for a few minutes, but she still needs to get some rest to make a full recovery. You're welcome to come back tomorrow."

"Right, we will," Dick stated politely, "Thank you for your time."

Shippo nodded and opened the door to mansion for the three boys to leave. "We'll be expecting you."

Once Wally, Dick, and Kaldur were outside, they walked down the main path out of the estate, making their way to sidewalk. Wayne offered to give the boys a chauffeur for their latest visit to the Toboso estate, but they declined.

"Well, that was another bust," Wally commented, clearly frustrated, "Do you think Yoshikuni's telling us the truth?"

"He was gone longer than he was before," Dick stated, "Maybe she was awake for more than a few minutes."

"It's possible," Kaldur mentioned, "but he has no real motive to lie to us. Kagome did sustain serious injuries, and I do think that she requires more time to recover."

"That may be true, but Bruce is getting impatient," Dick continued, "We need to speak to her as soon as possible."

"Are you serious? You can tell?" Wally asked in amazement, "He always has that same mean expression."

As the trio continued walking, Kagome watched them from her bedroom window. Once she saw them walk out of the main gates and take a left turn, she stepped away and went back to her bed.

"So they were still here," she thought aloud, "Why did Shippo lie to me?"

After taking a seat, Kagome pulled off her clothes to inspect her bandages. They were free of blood and relatively clean, indications they were recently changed. She carefully began to unwrap them to inspect her injuries. As she expected, there were only faint red marks in place of the puncture wounds on her shoulder. It was safe to assume the other claw wounds on her back also healed. Her body was still stiff and weak due to days of inactivity, but Kagome believed she had more than enough rest.

"It's about time I go out and stretch my legs," Kagome said as she stood back up. She grabbed a quick change of clothes from her closet, a pair of jean shorts and a black tank with turquoise beadwork around the collar, and ran straight for her shower. Once she was adequately cleaned and dried, Kagome dressed and returned to her room. She retrieved a pair of flip flops and a lightweight zippy hoodie.

'Damn,' Kagome thought, recalling her jacket from the day before was torn beyond recognition, 'That was one of my favorites!'

She shook her head and slipped on her shoes before putting on the jacket, zipping it halfway up. Once she was ready, Kagome quietly slipped out of her bedroom, intent on leaving the mansion and finding the boys as soon as possible. It was a bit of a challenge to navigate through the corridors without alerting anyone of her departure, but she managed. By now, she was familiar with everyone's daily schedules and the mansion's layout and knew which paths to take without being detected.

From a series of large windows overlooking the main courtyard, Sesshomaru watched his little priestess scurry outside the estate and approach the sidewalk. He snorted when she met with no resistance. He specifically ordered Jaken and Sota to leave her be, and Shippo and Rin were far too amused with Kagome's latest trysts with the trio of sidekicks to interfere. She probably believed that she was slipping out virtually undetected.

"Foolish little miko," Sesshomaru quipped, wearing a barely noticeable smile, "You've always been so foolish."

-O0o0O-

"So what do we do now?" Wally asked his companions, feeling a bit restless. They still hadn't reached their hotel suite but would within an hour at the most.

"Not much we can do other than go back to the hotel, and break the bad news to Bruce," Dick answered with a shrug.

"In that case, mind if we take a little detour?" Wally suggested, "It'll be a real shame if we showed up just to tell him the same thing we told him yesterday."

As long as Kagome wasn't receiving visitors, the team could not move forward with their mission. After deciding they wanted her to officially join their ranks as young superheroes, the boys wanted to wait until she was fully healed and fully alert to divulge the true purpose of their arranged meeting. It was likely to be a delicate situation

"I have no problem with hanging out for a few hours," Dick responded, "I definitely want this day to more turbing than yesterday."

Wally shook his head. "Again? I'm having trouble keeping up with all of your made up words, and that's saying something coming from me."

"Whatever," Dick replied and turned his attention to Kaldur, "What do you feel like doing?"

The Atlantean teen was silent then suddenly held out his arm to stop his comrades from walking any further.

"We're being followed," he said under his breath.

The boys turned, instinctively slipping into defensive stances, although, there was no one particularly suspicious behind them. After a few seconds of waiting, they heard giggling coming from the row of bushes lining the sidewalk.

"Geez, you guys don't let your guard down!" Kagome exclaimed before emerging from the bushes, pulling the stray leaves and twigs adhering to her clothes.

"Kagome, what are you doing out here?" Kaldur asked her, immediately relaxing his posture along with the others.

"Yoshikuni said you were out of it," Dick explained.

"I know he told you that, so I decided to come out and set you guys straight. As you can see, I'm perfectly fine," Kagome clarified.

"But your injuries," Kaldur began, "Are you certain you're well enough to move around?"

"Yeah. You were pretty messed up when we found you," Dick continued.

He stepped forward and boldly placed his hand on Kagome's shoulder directly over one of her wounds. Dick mentally noted he didn't feel the presence of the thickly wrapped bandages under her clothes that should have been in place. Taking a discrete peek underneath her jacket, he confirmed there were no bandages in sight.

'She sure heals fast,' he mused and filed that information away for later reports.

"I've never been better!" Kagome exclaimed. Then she suddenly drew Dick to her, capturing the younger boy in a tight embrace. He and the other two boys were immediately caught off guard by her unexpected action.

"I have you guys to thank for that. Shippo told me that you were the ones who found me," Kagome softly confessed, her lips next to Dick's ear.

"No problem," Dick replied, slowly returning the hug.

With his arms around Kagome's torso, he discovered there were no bandages there as well. Of course, with her fragrant scent flooding his nostrils and her soft form pressed against him, he nearly missed that little detail.

"You can always count on us, babe!" Wally mentioned with a cocky grin, holding his arms wide open, "Now get inside this hug. You know you want to~!"

Kagome rolled her eyes before pulling away from Dick and turning her attentions to Wally. As Wally gathered Kagome in his arms, Dick adjusted his sunglasses, trying to hide the faint dust of pink highlighting his cheekbones.

When Kagome pulled away from Wally, she turned to Kaldur with an expectant look and a cheeky grin.

"You too, Kaldur-kun!" she teased.

"Well…I—" Kaldur stammered, unsure of how to proceed. He a naturally friendly person and had no problem interacting with others. However, he was reserved at the same time and wasn't accustomed to such close contact, even with his friends and especially with females.

"Go for it!" Wally urged him with a wide smirk.

Kaldur sighed as he acquiesced, "Very well."

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't have to make it sound like such a chore!"

"I do not consider it a chore," Kaldur corrected her, walking forward and placing his hands on Kagome's shoulders, "You are my friend, and I'm grateful we managed to find you in time."

Kagome smiled bashfully and wrapped her arms around Kaldur's waist. Due to the height difference between the two, her head fit just underneath his chin. Kaldur absently noted it was somewhat satisfying that she was so small compared to him and was a near perfect fit in his embrace.

'Small but powerful,' he amended.

When the two pulled apart, Kaldur shared a look with Dick and Wally. His silent message was clear. They had to tell Kagome the truth and do it soon.

"Now that that's taken care of, let's get going!" Kagome announced.

"What do you mean?" Kaldur asked.

"Didn't you say there was no harm in hanging out before heading back to your hotel room?" Kagome reminded him, "I'm doing fine, so let's go and have some fun!"

"Yes, but—" Kaldur began, but Wally cut him off.

"You heard the lady. Let's get going," he urged him.

"We can always head back to the hotel later," Dick added, looking Kaldur in the eye. The older boy quickly received his subtle message. Kagome recovered from her ordeal, and they would be in Japan for about three or four more days. They would allow her this small indulgence and reveal themselves later.

"I suppose it'll be fine," Kaldur conceded.

"Great!" Kagome said as she happily clapped her hands together, "I know just where we can go. Since it's a weekday, the shopping districts should be pretty empty."

"Shopping?" Wally questioned, grimacing at the notion of accompanying a female—albeit a very attractive one—on that particular task.

"It's not that bad! Don't you guys have to pick up some souvenirs for your friends back home? And when we're done, we can do something else," she tried to reason with them, "Tell you what. We'll go to the station and ride to the Shinjuku shopping district in Tokyo. You'll get to see a different city, and it's a smaller and less popular than other options so it won't be crowded."

Dick grinned. "You're gonna have to do a better job than that. That plan does not sound aster to me. Not aster at all."

Kagome shrugged and turned away from the three boys. "Very well. You guys do what you want. I'm heading to the station with or without you."

"Come on," Kaldur ordered shortly after Kagome started walking away.

"So we're following her now?" Wally asked.

Dick shrugged. "It's not like we can let her go on her own."

When the trio reached her, Kagome grinned victoriously and sang, "I knew you three would follow me."

"Don't rub it in," Wally told her, "So where is this station?"

"Not far, but don't fall behind!"

Within ten or fifteen minutes, the group of four approached the station and boarded the train after buying tickets. To pass the time, they continued making conversation as they did on the walk here.

"So you guys haven't told me where you're from," Kagome mentioned, "Do you all live in Gotham City?"

"Nope," Wally answered, "I'm live in Central City, Missouri."

"Oh, is it close to Connecticut?" Kagome questioned, not familiar with the United States' geography.

"Not exactly," Wally explained, "We met through my uncle. He does business with Bruce like Kaldur's mentor."

Kagome nodded, accepting the explanation. "So where are you from, Kaldur-kun?"

"Happy Harbor, Rhode Island," he answered, "It's a much closer to Gotham than Central City."

The four teens continued speaking until the train came to a stop. When it did, they stepped off of it and onto the sidewalk.

"So where to first?" Wally asked their self-appointed guide.

"Well, we're here to find something for your friends," Kagome answered, "Let's just look around until you see a store you guys like."

After they continued walking, the group was stopped by several attractive young women gathered on the sidewalk outside of a building, trying to get the attention of passersby and handing out business cards.

"Well, well," Wally commented, intrigued, "What are these hotties selling?"

"They might be a modelling agency or something, right, Kagome?" Dick suggested, "I read about them recruiting models like this before."

Curiously, Kagome stiffened and avoided looking at anyone. A closer look at her face revealed a bright red hue dotting her cheeks.

"Yeah, something like that," she answered hurriedly, "Just try to get pass them, okay?"

Before the group could leave the area, a particularly insistent girl latched onto Kaldur's arm, rubbing it appreciatively and speaking in rapid Japanese.

"A foreigner. How handsome!" she cried excitedly, "We could definitely use someone like you at our agency."

"What is going on?" Kaldur questioned as he tried to pull his arm away. She was undeterred, adjusting her grip whenever he moved.

"I think she like your look, bro," Wally said with a teasing wink.

"Tell her I'm not interested," Kaldur insisted. He turned to Kagome and Dick for help. Kagome went to his aid and tried to reason with the young woman.

"Excuse me, but my friends and I are just passing through the area. Could you plea—"

"It's okay! We're always looking for new talent." The girl grinned deviously. "You're pretty cute too. I think you and your friend will look very good in some scenes together."

"Huh?" Kagome cried in disbelief, her blush becoming more prominent.

"Aww!" another girl whined, "But I wanted to be with him!"

"You still can," her colleague insisted, "She's your type too, right? You can have the best of both worlds!"

The girl eyed Kagome pensively before marching over and put a hand on her shoulder. "I guess she is."

She leaned closer to her, placing her lips by Kagome's ear. "How would you like to have some fun between us girls before we tackle the foreign cutie?"

Kagome cringed and stepped backward. "No thanks! We really should be going now!"

A third girl suddenly appeared and took Kaldur's other arm, squealing as she pushed up his sleeve. "Oh! He's got tattoos too! Those will look totally sexy on camera."

Frustrated, Kagome pried the girls away from Kaldur and took his hand in hers, holding it tightly.

"Let's get going, everyone!" she announced before walking away and pulling Kaldur behind her. Wally and Dick, who were not approached by anyone, followed her with no trouble at all.

"What was that about?" Dick asked when they were a few blocks away, "They were in a modeling agency, right?"

Kagome squeaked, letting go of Kaldur's hand to hide her expression from the others. "Not exactly!"

With his hand free, Kaldur reached into his pocket. He was surprised to find one of the business cards the girls were handing out. He sighed; that incident was one of the most embarrassing and awkward experiences of his short life.

"I think one of them planted this on me," he reasoned in shock.

"Alright!" Wally congratulated him with a pat on the back, "Looks like you got her number anyway."

"I don't want it," Kaldur repeated.

Kagome sighed and ran a hand through her hair, appearing exasperated. "Just get rid of it, okay?"

"Hold on," Dick interjected, slipping the card from Kaldur before he could discard it. Kaldur didn't want to keep it in the first place and gladly relinquished it. As soon as Dick read it, he burst into loud peals of laughter.

"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed in between chuckles, "This is hilarious!"

"Richard-kun!" Kagome scolded, "I told you to get rid of it!"

When she reached for the card, Dick darted about and kept it out of her reach.

"And I told you to call me 'Dick', didn't I?" he countered, "You're not turbed! Not turbed at all!"

"Just give it!" Kagome pleaded, still trying to retrieve the scrap of paper.

"So what is it?" Wally inquired curiously.

Dick grinned before answering. "According to this, that building we passed makes adult films. These two were being scouted for one of their movies!"

"Seriously?" Wally responded.

"Then that would mean that they wanted Kagome and me too…" Kaldur trailed off his sentence and began to blush, an uncharacteristic display of emotion.

"That's why I wanted you to forget about the card!" Kagome iterated, "Just drop it, okay!"

"Well, that's not fair," Wally grumbled.

"And what do you mean by that?" Kagome asked dubiously, "Did you actually want to stay there?"

"It's not like that," Wally insisted, "I mean, Dick's obviously jailbait, but what about me? I look just as good as Kaldur! I could be in a por—"

"Do not finish that sentence!" Kagome warned him.

"Indeed," Kaldur added, "I would like to forget this incident as soon as possible. I would also appreciate it if you never brought it up again."

"Can do," Dick said despite the grin he wore. Wally begrudgingly agreed.

"By the way," Kagome began, appearing much less flustered, "I didn't know you had tattoos, Kaldur-kun. They're snakes or something, right?"

"Oh, no. They are eels," Kaldur answered. He nearly forgot that his Atlantean markings were revealed, and his identity was potentially compromised. From the looks on Wally's and Dick's faces, so did they.

"I usually try not to show them for certain reasons," he continued, "They do not always give the best impression."

"Exactly!" Dick added, "We wouldn't want anyone to mistake our mild-mannered friend for a gang leader."

"Oh, I don't care," Kagome commented with a dismissive wave of her hand, "I think they're pretty cool." She grinned and skipped ahead.

"Okay, boys! It's about time we did some shopping!"

-O0o0O-

Kagome giggled at the trio of boys as they took their seats across from her on the ride home with all the purchases they made. By the time they were finished shopping, the boys looked completely exhausted.

"Don't tell me you're tired!" she exclaimed.

"Says the girl who dragged us to all those stores and didn't by a single thing!" Dick countered, "We have good reason to be tired."

"You really are relentless," Wally stated.

Kagome snorted and rolled her eyes before the topic of the conversation changed. When the train stopped at the station, the four teens got off and prepared to go their separate ways.

"Are you sure you will be alright walking home on your own?" Kaldur asked Kagome one last time before they parted.

"I'll be fine," Kagome reiterated, "I always walk home by myself, and I promise there won't be any detours this time."

"Alright," Kaldur finally relented.

"I'll see you all tomorrow, right?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah," Dick answered, "How about you come by the hotel after school this time?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll see you then," Kagome replied, starting to walk away.

She paused when she was a block away and turned to wave at her friends. The boys returned the gesture and briefly watched Kagome resume her trek home before leaving the area themselves. They held off from discussing their evening until they reached the hotel. When they were inside their room, the boys set their purchases aside and convened in the common area.

"So it's pretty obvious we've been lied to. As far as we can tell, Kagome's fine," Dick began their discussion, "She wasn't wearing any bandages, so her wounds are probably completely healed."

Wally nodded. "Noticed that too. As extensive as her wounds were, Kagome should have been out of commission for at least a week. Maybe more."

"Perhaps that's why Yoshikuni intentionally kept us away from Kagome. He didn't want us to pick up on it," Kaldur mussed, "She must have snuck out and followed us when she realized we left the manor without seeing her."

"That's our vigilante rebel for you," Wally quipped.

Before the conversation could continue, Kaldur's cellphone began to ring. Since Wally, Dick, and Wayne were the only ones with his number, he quickly answered and put the phone on speaker, waiting for Wayne to speak on the other line.

"Yes?" he answered politely.

"I want you to investigate recent gang activity in an area close to the Toboso residence. A group called the Black Mantis is causing trouble. I'm detained at Toboso's main office and unable to act."

"We've encountered them before, and they didn't seem like much of a threat," Kaldur stated, "Is it necessary for us to get involved in our full capacity?"

"It is. The group is known for petty crime in Shizuoka, but they have suddenly escalated the severity of their behavior. They seem to have obtained illegal weaponry, and recent reports confirm their leader has been injected with Kobra-Venom."

The young heroes stiffened. Their previous encounter with the gang didn't indicate they dabbled in illegal, strength enhancing substances or were affiliated with the criminal organizations that distributed them. Because of this, it was highly probable that someone knew of their presence in Japan despite their efforts to keep it a secret.

The fact that the dangerous group was so close to Kagome's home made the situation even more troubling. A criminal organization could have easily information on her identity after discovering the Justice League's and the Team's interest in her. That put her in immediate danger.

"Understood," Kaldur stated, "We will act immediately."

Before Wayne ended the dialogue, he sent a detailed set of coordinates cataloguing the gang's recent movements and their current position Kaldur's cellphone.

Wally stood and stretched his arms behind his head. "Looks like we have a chance to get out and stretch our legs. It's about time. These civvies started to get real boring."

"And let's make sure we give these guys special treatment considering how they've treated our new teammate," Dick added with a grin.

Wally clapped his shoulder. "You're reading my mind, Rob."

"Alright," Kaldur announced, commanding their attention, "Suit up so we can move out."

"Got it!"

-O0o0O-

Kagome hummed as she leisurely walked back to estate, taking her time. She knew Sesshomaru and the others were well aware she disappeared a long time ago, but, because no one came to retrieve her, she suspected they weren't concern.

Just before Kagome passed the entrance one of developing neighborhoods close to the manor, she noticed a strange, distorted aura in the vicinity. The energy may have been odd, but it was unmistakably human.

"What the hell?" she said under her breath. She looked at the vacant subdivision and sighed.

'I guess I won't be keeping my promise,' Kagome thought and entered the subdivision. Once inside, Kagome noticed the houses she passed were heavily damaged with broken doors, smashed windows, garbage strewn about the yards, and spray painted graffiti on every surface. The vandalism was a sure sign that some gang was up to no good. Luckily, these homes were unoccupied. Kagome continued moving in the direction of the aura, picking up the smell of smoke as she walked.

Kagome slowed down and began to cautiously approach one of the construction sites in the back of the neighborhood. On one of the concrete foundations, there was a lit bonfire surrounded by rowdy members of the Black Mantis, drinking and smashing their emptied bottles on the ground as they howled in the moonlight.

The presence of the gang was not what caused Kagome's blood to run cold. Her terrified gaze was on the large humanoid creature they surrounded, the origin of the aura she detected. Its skin was greenish-brown and covered in grotesque fissures revealing the sinuous tissue of its bulging muscles. Despite how monstrous the creature appeared, it was clear it was not a demon, and its energy was eerily familiar.

'No way,' she thought, 'Could that be Nakamura?'

Subconsciously stepping back, Kagome made a small noise when she crushed something underneath her feet. The Black Mantis, who were too far away to hear and obviously intoxicated, didn't react to the sound. However, the creature Kagome identified as Nakamura, lifted its large head and sniffed the air. It snarled, whipping its beady red eyes in Kagome's direction, piercing her through the darkness.

'…shit.'

Letting out a mighty roar, the beast charged at speeds Kagome couldn't outrun. The only thing she could do was try dodge the oncoming blow and brace herself for impact. She shrieked when she was suddenly whisked off her feet and rushed out of Nakamura's path.

"Don't freak out!" a familiar voice told her, "I gotcha, gorgeous!"

Kagome opened her eyes when she came to a sudden, jolting stop. Grinning at her with red goggles over his eyes and a yellow cowl over his face, Wally set her down out of his arms and out of harm's way. He briefly lifted his goggles, further confirming his identity.

Dumbstruck by Wally's sudden appearance, Kagome opened her mouth but was unable to speak.

"Save the questions for later," he told her, jerking his thumb back at the scene by the bonfire which was already reduced to smoldering embers, "We have a bit of a problem to take care of. Sit this out and leave it to us."

"No wait!" Kagome managed to say, but Wally already pulled down his goggles and sped away from her at a speed faster than any human—and, for that matter, some demons—could run.

Getting over her shock, Kagome slowly walked to the frightening scene and looked on as most of the Black Mantis fled. They left their transformed leader at the mercy of three assailants: an inhumanly speedy boy clothed in yellow and red, a lithe, acrobatic male with a masked face using a hidden arsenal of weapons, and a tall, dark-skinned boy controlling what looked like water with glowing light blue markings along his arms.

'Wally, Dick, and Kaldur,' Kagome labeled them in her mind, 'What are they doing here?'

Her face suddenly hardened, and she began to run straight for the fight scene. She boldly slipped off her shoe and held it tightly in her grip. In a manner similar to the one she used with her arrows, she managed to channel her spiritual energy through the flip flop. It was difficult considering she never used a medium like this before, and she wasn't entirely sure what she was trying to do, but her determination was tangible. She would not be put to the side.

"Hey, Nakamura, you bastard!" Kagome shouted as she threw the shoe in his direction. It didn't come close to hitting him, but she had Nakamura's full attention exactly as she wanted. He charged, aiming straight for her once more. The three boys quickly followed behind him to stop his assault.

"Kagome!" Kaldur shouted in alarm.

"K.F., get her out of there!"

"I got it, Rob!"

Wally sped forward, but Kagome already had her other shoe in hand, trying to attack again. This time, it made contact with Nakamura's face and sizzled before Wally grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away from the creature's rampage once again. With renewed rigor, Kaldur and Dick subdued Nakamura and detained him for the authorities to take care of, who were quickly approaching with sirens blaring.

Confident his friend was out of harm's way, Wally set Kagome down and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Kagome, are you alright?" he asked her worriedly, but she didn't answer.

Her normally bright blue eyes were alarmingly dull and pointed to the ground. Wally didn't question when she shrugged his hands off her shoulders, guessing she was still in shock. The two stood in silence until Kaldur and Dick approached them.

"What's the word?" Wally asked.

"It's all taken care of," Dick answered, "We should get out of here before the media shows up."

"Right," Wally replied and turned to approach Kagome, intent on bring her with them. When he touched her again, Kagome lifted her head and violently jerked away from him.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed, continuing to back away with her arms protectively fastened around her middle.

The trio was not disturbed by Kagome's blatant dismissal. They expected she would be distressed after what just transpired. What they said next had to be considered very carefully.

"Do you know?" she asked in a whisper, "Do you know about me?"

"Kagome, what are you talking about?" Kaldur asked, not trying to feign ignorance but gain some clarity.

"Don't try to play dumb with me!" Kagome insisted, looking up at the trio urgently, "Just tell me what you know. If you know what I am and why you're even here!"

Dick sighed and answered with remorse, "We were ordered by the Justice League to investigate you and your abilities. We are members of a covert team that works exclusively under their supervision. As for what you are, we aren't completely sure yet."

Kagome said nothing as her face slowly lowered to the ground. She then recalled the strange conversation she had with Shippo only days before she met the three boys in front of her, and the question he asked that caught her off guard.

She let out a dry laugh. 'I should have known. From the very beginning, it was all a setup.'

"Kagome, I know you are upset right now, and you have every right to be," Kaldur began calmly, "And I know you want answers that you deserve, but now is not the time or place for you to get them."

"We can tell you everything, but you have to come with us," Dick appended, following Kaldur's lead.

"Come on, Kagome," Wally urged her with a slight laugh, trying to further diffuse the volatile situation, "You can trust us. You know that."

"Trust you?" Kagome repeated, her voice obviously angered and distraught, "I don't even know you! You all lied to me! You're still lying to me!"

Kaldur approached her as amiably as he could. "Kagome, you have to calm down. I know that we may seem odd to you right now, but—"

"That has nothing to do with it!" she roughly interrupted. Her arms were now completely rigid and held tightly at her side.

"I don't give a fuck who or what you are or what you do!" Kagome continued, "It's the fact that you didn't trust me enough to tell me, and I bet you didn't even plan to. You lied to me and expect me to be okay with it! Why? Just so you could get close to me because you were ordered to?" She took another step back as tears streaked down her cheeks, creating silvery trails in the moonlight.

"I know this is bad," Dick tried to reason with the hysterical girl, "but we can explain it!"

"Was everything an act? Were you all just toying with me until you got what you really wanted?"

"Not at all!" Kaldur pleaded and tried to approach Kagome again, "We know we haven't been completely honest, and we are sorry, but we had good reasons. Please come with us and everything will make sense. I promise."

"Get away from me!" Kagome shouted and put her hands against Kaldur's chest, pushing him away. A burst of pink instinctively shot from her palm at the contact, causing Kaldur to fall back. Horrified, Kagome stumbled backward looking from her hands to Kaldur then Wally and Dick. Without warning, she turned tail and fled.

"Wait!" Kaldur shouted at Wally and Dick who both looked ready to follow Kagome.

"Let her go," he stated as he stood to his feet, looking at the spot where Kagome touched him. His skin stung as though it were burned, but he would be fine with immediate care.

"But what about Kagome?" Wally asked.

"Kaldur's right. There's nothing we can do about it," Dick resigned in defeat, "She won't listen if we try to talk to her now. We'll have to try again in the morning."

Wally scoffed. "Somehow, I don't think she'll be more willing to hear us out. And I don't think she'll believe us when we tell her this wasn't all an act."

"We don't have a choice," Dick countered in a hard voice, "We have to tell her whether she wants to hear it or not. We're in too deep."

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "We should have told her earlier before it came to something like this."

Kaldur shook his head. "We had no idea this would happen or Kagome would react so badly."

"Either way, I don't think we'll be in Japan for much longer," Wally remarked, "And I doubt Kagome will be coming with us when we leave."

As painful as it was to admit, they knew Kagome would likely want to sever all ties with them after this event. It hurt even more to know it wasn't who they were or what they could that pushed her so far away from them. Kagome seemed to believe they withheld the truth for the sole purpose of manipulating her, and their current relationship was only a farce to help them achieve their goal.

It appeared that the young heroes committed the ultimate betrayal, and they weren't sure they could overcome it.

-O0o0O-

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> punkish_furball – It's official. The shit hit the fan. And they were having such a good time before all that happened. :P With someone like Kagome who's very familiar with being betrayed by a certain hanyou we all know and can't help but love, the boys can't expect to get off easy.
> 
> I will admit that I was a bit conflicted about how I wanted to big revelation to go and how I wanted Kagome to react to it. I narrowed it down to two choices: the big, dramatic confrontation and the nonchalant, blasé reaction. The latter choice didn't seem like it would have the effect I wanted, and I'm sure you didn't see this coming. I liked it and hope you do as well! XD
> 
> Also, special thanks to Bishonen'sFoxyMiko for giving me the idea for that hilarious scouting scene.
> 
> Until next update, TCB! ^.^
> 
> (revised 08.22.2013)


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> punkish_furball – Howdy, folks! X3
> 
> Words to Ponder:
> 
> Thank you for reviewing: Athena's phoenix, itachisdbzgurl, HannokiKaen, Yuzuki Kuchiki, kakashixanglea, wolfYLady-MistressWolf-sama, KEdakumi, Bishonen'sFoxyMiko, The Path of Supreme Conquest, JoWashington, Dark Priestess66, reaangel2463, Molly Grace 16, Mimiru, xXGuardianHearXx, Jayne, Mistra Rose, Blue Secrets, Fluffy is amazing, callmeBaby'08, Sognatori's Last Dragon, darksilvercloud, dark-wolf-howl, Jayne, Guest, Reibuki Shihaisha, silverfoxkurama, 00909, Aloever, ShadowStar, and XxHisLilLoverGirlxX from FF.net! XD
> 
> Pardon my long absence, but I had to take a break and focus on my schoolwork. Now, I've officially graduated from college and gainfully employed! XD So please lay done your tuna and other offensively used fish and enjoy this latest installment.
> 
> All previous chapters have been revised.

**Chapter 5**

_**Thursday, June 10, 2010** _

Without drawing any attention, Sota walked to his sister's bedroom and pressed his ear to the door. Last night, she returned to the house and went straight to her room, her eyes full of tears. He could her heart retching sobs until the early hours of the morning. Now, it was completely quiet, signaling Kagome was still asleep. It wasn't hard to guess who put her in this state.

Sota knew about her exploits with Wayne's ward and his friends and couldn't be more troubled by them. But it was Sesshomaru's decision to introduce Kagome to them, so there wasn't anything he could do about it. Even if this was an attempt to help her, Sota didn't want her to end up leaving him again.

He wasn't just a naïve schoolboy; Sota knew how unfulfilled Kagome felt after returning to their family's home. He hoped moving to Shizuoka would help her much like everyone else did. This recent falling out with the boys would likely keep her from leaving.

Even so, he did not want to see Kagome so distraught. It was clear she really liked those three boys, and the fact that they hurt his sister, someone who had more than her fair share of heartache, made Sota's blood boil.

Making a quick decision, Sota stood and went to his bedroom. He grabbed some change before he left the manor, walking to the closest bus stop. He didn't know the exact address of the hotel where the boys were staying, he did know their room number and was familiar enough with the downtown area to find it. After he boarded the bus, Sota took a seat and used his trip to the hotel to devise a plan and think of what he wanted say. Communication would be difficult; he didn't know nearly as much English as Kagome but knew enough to get by.

As far as he was concerned, this situation was completely unacceptable. He couldn't protect his sister in the past and, as soon as she returned, she stepped up to protect him without question. All in all, he was useless to her.

'Not anymore,' he thought, his resolve growing.

When he got off the bus, Sota walked up to the hotel and entered the lavish building, disregarding everyone he passed until he reached room 1217. Unafraid, Sota knocked on the door and waited for an answer. Finally, Kaldur opened it, surprised to see him there.

"You're Kagome's brother, Sota," he stated.

Sota nodded and spoke as strongly as he could.

"I come here to say at you," he announced, his stance tall and proud.

Kaldur immediately understood the oddly phrased requested and stepped aside. "Please come in."

Sota walked ahead of him and saw Dick and Wally in the living room seated on the same couch. They too were shocked by his arrival.

"Kaldur, what's he doing here?" Dick asked.

"He came to speak with us. I believe it's about Kagome," he answered.

"Kagome? Is she okay?" Wally cried.

"I am not sure. His English isn't very good. Richard, can you translate?"

"I'm on it." He shot up and approached Sota, trying to appear as non-threating as possible. Dick wasn't completely sure but suspected the younger boy had some idea of what was going on between them and his sister.

"Sota-san, are you here because of Kagome? Can you tell me if anything's wrong with her?"

Sota bristled at the sound of Kagome's name. 'How dare he address her so familiarly? He has no right!'

As soon as he was given the go ahead, Sota exploded, causing Dick to jump back with the volume of his voice. He screamed so fast and so intensely that it took Dick a great deal of effort to keep up and translate his words.

"What's he saying?" Wally asked over Sota's loud voice.

"Hold on!" Dick retorted. He didn't speak again until Sota finished. When he did, Sota was flushed and heaving to catch his breath.

Dick took a deep breath and reached up to rub his temples. "This is bad, guys. Real bad."

"What?" Wally questioned, "What did he tell you?"

Dick shook his head. "I didn't get all of it, but I'll explain everything on the way to the manor. We have to see Kagome as soon as possible."

"Do you think she'll even want to?" Wally questioned, "I mean, I know we were going to talk to her eventually, but shouldn't we wait a little longer?"

"If the situation is as serious as it seems, we have to try to get through to her," Kaldur reasoned.

Before they could leave the room, Sota rushed for the door and stood in front of them, holding out his hands to prevent them from going forward.

"We going stay here for Nee-chan come here!" he shouted in English.

He then plopped down where he stood with his arms defiantly folded over his chest. One way or another, Sota knew Kagome was going to come here whether she found out about his disappearance or not. He wouldn't let these boys leave and gain an advantage over his sister again.

"What is he doing?" Wally asked.

"Dunno. I guess he has a plan or something," Dick answered.

Kaldur nodded. "He wants us to wait until Kagome comes see us herself. For now that is the only course of action we have."

-O0o0O-

Kagome groaned as she sat up and ran a tired hand through her hair. Her head was pounding, and her eyes were bloodshot and itchy from crying herself to sleep. Amidst all of the jumbled and incoherent thoughts in her head, only one thing rang clear.

'Last night was awful.'

Despite the protests her body made, Kagome stood and went to her bathroom, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She grimaced; she looked as badly as she felt. After washing her face with a damp cloth, she returned to her bedroom and took a seat at her desk, sitting up straight to process what transpired the night before now that her mind was beginning to clear.

As difficult as it was, Kagome could now admit she overreacted. But she still felt completely justified being angry. She wasn't lying when she said she didn't care if Kaldur, Dick, and Wally had powers or not. After all, she did as well. It took a lot of trust to reveal something like that, and, in the short time the group of teens knew each other, they just didn't have it.

What really drove Kagome over the edge was that they obviously had ulterior motives for pursing a friendship with her. Had they not been ordered to, she was sure they would have rebuffed her attempts at friendship when they first met, or they might not have met her at all. Their relationship was only a means to an end, and it sickened her.

'They aren't the only culprits either.'

Before she did anything else, Kagome needed to talk to Sesshomaru. He was sure to have all of the answers she needed. She got stood and grabbed a change of clothes from her closet before heading back to the bathroom. She had to put on a fresh face before she saw Sesshomaru.

When she emerged clean and composed, Kagome left her room and walked straight to Sesshomaru's study. Once there, she opened the door without announcing herself. Sesshomaru was inside pouring over documents at his desk as usual.

"And what would you like to speak about?" he asked without lifting his head, "It must be quite important for you to forget your manners when addressing me."

Before speaking, Kagome strode into the office and took a seat in front of Sesshomaru's desk with her back held straight.

"I want to know the extent of your dealings with Wayne-san beyond your business and his connection with the Justice League," she stated without any preamble.

Sesshomaru looked up and smirked. "How shrewd of you to know that much already, but I suppose the discovery was inevitable. The truth often flows easier after events like the one last night occur."

Kagome didn't bother to hide the roll of her eyes; she suspected Sesshomaru already knew about that.

"So are you going to answer me or not?"

Sesshomaru nodded and set his notes aside.

"Bruce Wayne is a principal member of the globally acclaimed group of superheroes known as the Justice League," he answered, "His alternative identity is the Batman. After discovering this, I contacted him with a proposition."

"So you blackmailed him to make me join his little teen hero club?" Kagome exclaimed, furious, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What good would it have done? You never listen."

"Hey! That's not what this about, and you know it!"

Undeterred by Kagome's outrage, Sesshomaru continued, his voice clear and devoid of emotion. "You've given up on life. You've grown complacent."

Kagome stiffened at the accusation, her anger diminishing. Sesshomaru never spoke to her like this before, and she didn't like it.

"What do you—?"

"You do recall what transpired last night when you confronted the gang leader and the three boys, correct? And everything that happened before that when those boys were in your presence?" Sesshomaru interjected, startling Kagome with the sharp change of subject. Silently, she nodded and waited for him to continue.

"Do you remember how you felt? How you reacted whenever they were with you?"

Again, she nodded. Even though the feelings of betrayal were still fresh, a warm feeling bubbled in her chest when she thought of Kaldur, Wally, and Dick. As if sensing these feelings, Sesshomaru continued, his next words chilling her to the core.

"Do you remember the last time you felt such raw emotion?"

Kagome's eyes widened when she realized she couldn't. This warmth she felt was familiar but rare. Only when she was with InuYasha did she feel so alive.

"When I took you in, I vowed to make sure you had every opportunity for a normal, happy life," Sesshomaru began solemnly, "I quickly realized that normal was not enough for you. It could never be enough for you."

"That's not true!" Kagome interrupted, but Sesshomaru quickly silenced her.

"You need fulfillment that a normal life cannot provide, and I thought Wayne could give that to you. But it seems I have failed you again"

"Bu—"

Sesshomaru abruptly stood and stepped from behind his desk to approach his door. When he opened it, Shippo was on the other side, his fist raised as he prepared to knock. Shippo curiously looked at the  _daiyōkai_  then Kagome.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Without saying anything, Sesshomaru raised his hand and tapped Shippo on the forehead before he left.

"Wait a minute!" Shippo called down the hallway, "Don't tag me in without letting me know what happened first!"

"Shippo," Kagome stated from her seat in an accusatory tone.

He stiffened and turned to her, a nervous grin on his face.

"Hello, Kaa-san. How are you? I know you had an eventful day yesterday. I hope you weren't hurt."

"Sit," she stated, not in the mood for pleasantries.

Shippo obeyed and plopped down in the seat next to Kagome. "So how's it going?"

"You don't need to play dumb," Kagome quipped, "I know all about it, Shippo."

"Really?" he replied, "So Sesshomaru cracked, huh?"

"No, they did," Kagome answered without saying any names, "I was just getting more information from him."

"So this is a Q & A session. No wonder Sesshomaru bailed," Shippo uttered, "So what do you want to know?"

Kagome hesitated to answer, closing her eyes in thought. There were many things she could ask, and she wanted to take full advantage of it. As far as she was concerned, Kaldur, Wally, and Dick had an unfair lead. They may not have known everything about her, but they certainly had more information that she had about them. This was payback.

"I want you to tell me everything you know," she answered, "Don't leave anything out despite what I said before."

"Well, before we start, there's something you should take a look at."

Without waiting for a reply, he pulled Sesshomaru's laptop toward him. After logging in, he pulled up the front page for one of the local news stations. When he was finished, he turned the monitor to Kagome. Displayed on the website was a lengthy video clip with the headline "Mutant in Shizuoka-shi? A Gang Leader Gone Worse".

"What's this?" Kagome asked.

"Last night's escapade made the news," Shippo answered, "It won't give you all the answers you want, but it's a start."

He clicked the play button and watched the clip alongside Kagome. It began with a sharply dressed reporter seated in front of the station's logo, a serious expression on his face.

"Are their dangerous mutants stalking the streets of Shizuoka-shi?" he stated, "Late last night, local police responded to a reports of vandalism and arson in a local neighborhood building project. Our correspondent on the scene has more details on the monstrous culprit of these horrendous acts."

The screen changed to a female reporter walking through the destroyed subdivision accompanied by the flashing lights of police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances.

"Hello, all," she began, "I'm standing here on the remains of the Shizuoka building project in the aftermath of a battle straight out of science fiction. The culprit behind the destruction is confirmed to be Nakamura Hiroto, leader of the Black Mantis gang, shown in this shocking image."

The display changed again, showing a normal photo of Nakamura next to the abomination Kagome last saw him as. The reporter appeared on the monitor again, her hands covered in surgical gloves as she held an empty syringe.

"Police investigators believe the cause of the gang leader's drastic mutation is the highly dangerous and illegal strength-enhancing drug, Venom, or some sort of chemical variant. This is only one of the many emptied syringes found in the Black Mantis's possession.

"Thankfully, Nakamura was subdued and detained by three sidekicks of well-known Justice League members before he could do further damage. Despite police encouragement, they declined to make a public statement. The remainder of the Black Mantis has also been brought into custody.

"Further investigation will be conducted by an organized task force to discover the gang's source of the illegal drug and more details about last night's incident. For now, we thank the Justice League for their continued vigilance and action."

When the clip ended, Shippo closed the laptop and set it aside.

"So Nakamura is a mutant?" Kagome asked once she had his attention.

"Bingo!" he answered, "I'm guessing something felt off about him, right? That's why you approached him last night."

"Yeah. But what about the others?" Kagome asked. As concerned as she was about Nakamura's transformation, she didn't want to discuss it right now.

"I told you before Kaldur-kun and Wally-kun felt different as well. In fact, I think my miko energy burned Kaldur."

Guilt hit Kagome hard; she nearly forgot about that.

"Did you?" Shippo asked, "That was one thing we were curious about when you first told me what you sensed from them."

"Do you know why?" Kagome asked.

"Before I get to that, how much do you know about demon genetics?" Shippo asked. He quickly added. "I promise it's important, so just play along."

"Enough I guess," Kagome answered, frustrated, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"With all these super humans popping up, the topic's getting really big, more so on the subject of human genetics," Shippo answered.

The subject first became a hot topic with  _yōkai_ supremacist groups once the technology became available. The drive for research was to prove with absolute certainty that demons were genetically superior to humans, and, because of that, the barrier between the two worlds should be dissolved. Whether they were pursued for nefarious reasons or not, more and more effort was exhausted to further the genetic research. Once the findings were available and published, a counter movement was established. It acknowledged that the information and the many differences between human and demonic genetic codes were truthful and irrefutable in all cases. However, that was not proof of superiority nor a reason to dissolve the barrier.

Over time, both movements lost supporters; a majority of the demons remained indifferent to humankind as they did for centuries and preferred the barrier stayed in place. Nonetheless, studies continued to be conducted to encode  _yōkai_ and  _hanyou_ genomes, the latter being much more difficult to decipher, and succeeded.

One of the more popular research topics was determining if DNA played a role in the effectiveness of spiritual powers on those with demonic blood along with other such abilities. As one of the few spiritual beings in existence with knowledge of the  _Makai_ , this topic affected Kagome. Prejudice against trained monks and mikos was still strong despite the dimensional divide. Fortunately, her involvement with the Shikon no Tama and influential demons like Sesshomaru and Shippo kept her from being a target.

"And…" Kagome probed.

"I'm getting to it!" he insisted, "Anyway, after carefully recovering some genetic material from some notable members of the Justice League, several important discoveries were made."

"Someone stole their DNA?" she cried in shock.

"Not stolen, recovered," Shippo corrected, "All of the studies are purely academic. Knowledge for knowledge's sake and all that."

"So what about it?" Kagome asked. As interesting as all of this was, it wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"I know you don't pay much attention to them, but you should know who the members of the Justice League are, right?"

Kagome shrugged. "Batman, Superman, Aquaman, something-man?"

Shippo rolled his eyes. "Yes, but what are they?"

Kagome shook her head. "I don't know. I never really cared before now."

"Well, the DNA analysis of the League members yielded three types of DNA indicative of the different races it is comprised of. The normal, unaltered DNA of humans, alien DNA, and human DNA containing a specific, active genetic marker. As of yet, we don't know much about the last two, but one discovery was made that's very pertinent to you."

"What's that?"

"You recognize the alien DNA and the active genetic marker in human beings the same way you would someone with demonic blood."

"Huh? Why?"

Shippo shrugged. "We don't know for sure; everything is still in the experimental stage."

"So no one knows why?"

"There are ideas, but none of them have been confirmed yet. As for the aliens, they're pretty much a given. They just aren't human, so it's understandable that your powers would react to them. As for the gene, it's been compared to half demons and other beings with diluted demonic blood. You have to remember that your powers work on a molecular level as well as a spiritual one."

"So you're saying Wally-kun and Kaldur-kun are either aliens or mutants?" Kagome deduced.

"Exactly!

"Then what about Nakamura? Before yesterday, he was a normal human being," Kagome stated, "Does it have to do with Venom, the drug they mentioned in the report? Did that activate his gene or something?"

"Not likely. Venom normally acts a steroid without causing permanent mutation to someone who's exposed to it. I also doubt he had the genetic marker. Based on the reports, chances are he used another strength altering substance that altered his genetic structure. These types of things are a hot commodity with large criminal organizations, so they have to be able to work on anyone with enough money to buy them," Shippo answered, "Because of that, I believe his mutation is different from the ones you sense from the boys. That's what makes the research so difficult to complete. There just too many variables."

"I see. So I can sense the mutation, but how effective my powers are depends on how much mutation has occurred. That is to say, the mutation has to cause dramatic changes in the DNA," Kagome surmised, "The only person I managed to attack was Kaldur-kun. I tried with Nakamura but never made contact. I never tried with Wally-kun. Of the three of them, I'd say his mutation is of a lesser degree."

"Sounds about right," Shippo quipped, "You should take up biology, Kaa-san. I think there's a white lab coat in your future!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "What about Kaldur-kun? He doesn't seem like he's as mutated as Nakamura."

"He's an Atlantean."

"You mean from Atlantis?"

"That's right. I'm sure you've heard the legend. After the continent sank, its inhabitants were forced to adapt to living under water. They're essentially human but adaptation led to evolutions, and now Atlanteans show a wide range of biological diversity," Shippo said, "Diverse enough for you to recognize them as nonhuman."

Kagome shook her head; she didn't want to hear anymore. Whatever unanswered questions she had, could remain unanswered as far as she was concerned.

"The lecture was nice, but I don't care about them anymore. I only asked because I have no intention of talking to them again," Kagome stated.

"Are you sure you want to do something so drastic?" Shippo asked, "Mutants, genetic anomalies, and nonhumans other than demons. What could you do to them? What can you do for them?"

"What are you saying? I'm not a hero. I never was, and I don't want to be," Kagome insisted, finality in her tone.

Shippo shrugged and made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. "Very well, but you'll have to let them know outright. They won't leave you alone until you do."

Kagome stood. "Don't worry. I'm on my way to tell them."

"Right now?" Shippo asked, "But you said you want to see them again. I'm sure Sesshomaru can convey your refusal for you."

"I know, but you said they won't leave me alone, right? Them I have to nip this in the bud as soon as possible, and I have to do it myself," Kagome answered.

Shippo shrugged. "Very well. You need a ride?"

"No need," Kagome answered, "I'll catch the bus."

Without waiting for a reply, she left the study and grabbed her purse from her bedroom. Once she had it, she walked to the bus stop and waited.

'I better not stay long,' she thought, nervously fingering her purse's strap over her shoulder, 'My best bet is to cut ties as quickly as possible and get out of there before they could say anything.'

Kagome didn't like the idea of running away from this problem, but it was the only way she could think of to distance herself from the teen heroes. She also didn't like the feeling of guilt she felt in the pit of her stomach that resulted from her talk with Sesshomaru and Shippo.

'It doesn't matter if I know about them or not. I don't want anything to do with them,' she thought, resolute, 'Sesshomaru is wrong. I am happy with the way things are.'

For the rest of the bus ride, Kagome repeated that mantra in her head until it stuck. When she got off the bus and walked to the hotel, she quickly entered and head up to room 1217. She paused and took a deep breath before knocking on the door. It wasn't long before Wally answered it.

"Kagome?" he exclaimed, "You're here!"

"Yes," she answered with a nod, "I want to talk. To all of you."

Wally wasted no time stepping aside to let her in. "Yeah, sure. Come in."

Kagome quietly entered the hotel room, coming to an abrupt stop when she saw Sota sitting next to the doorway, his legs crossed and arms folded over his chest.

"Sota, what are you doing here?" she asked him.

The younger boy jumped to his feet up when he noticed his sister and cried, "Nee-chan!"

"Sota," Kagome began, "you need to leave. I have something important to discuss with these three."

"No way!" he protested, "I'm not going to leave you here alone!"

Kagome sighed and placed her hand on Sota's head, lightly ruffling his hair. "Thank you for helping me, but you're part is over now. I need you to wait for me outside. Can you do that?"

"Okay," he relented, "but I'm not leaving until you're done!"

Sota walked outside the room and dropped to the floor.

"Is he going to be okay out there?" Wally asked as Kagome closed the door.

"He'll be fine," she answered.

"Okay," he said. The cool tinge in Kagome's tone made him feel awkward.

"Let's head to the back. The others are there."

Kagome nodded and followed the redhead to one of the bedrooms in the back. Dick and Kaldur immediately noticed their arrival.

"Kagome," Kaldur said, "how are you?"

"Fine, all things considered," she answered then when straight into her purpose for being here, "So, after what happened last night, I spoke to Sesshomaru and Shippo." The boys noticeably stiffened when Kagome told them that. Despite their reaction, she continued.

"They told me why you cane here, but I want to hear it from you. In return, you can ask me anything you like, and I'll answer as truthfully as I can."

Dick took the initiative to speak first after taking a deep breath. "There's a lot to tell you. Where do you want us to start?"

"Who are you, and why did you approach me?" Kagome asked.

"I'm Wally West," Wally began, "but when you saw me last night, I was Kid Flash."

"Dick Grayson and Robin, protégé of Batman," Dick stated.

"Kaldur'ahm, native of Atlantis and Aqualad. We were instructed to investigate your potential as a member of a team that performs covert operations on behalf of the Justice League. That is why we first approached you," Kaldur said, "That was our motivation at first, but I can honestly say that after meeting you, our friendship is completely genuine."

"And we were going to tell you everything," Wally interjected, "The right time just never came."

"You have to believe us," Dick added earnestly.

"I see."

Their explanations wasn't any different from what she heard from Sesshomaru before, but the confirmation was necessary. There was only one final task Kagome had before she successfully end whatever was started here. Staying too long could cause her resolve to crack.

"There's only one more thing I'll ask," Kagome stated, "Kaldur-kun, could you please show me where I…touched you last night? There's something I need to confirm."

Kaldur complied and walked toward her, removing his shirt when he stood an arm's length away. There were bandages tied around his torso that he slowly began to remove. They revealed two distinct splotches of red, irritated skin blanched in several places with the presence of blisters. Kagome cringed at the sight of the injuries, ones that she unknowingly inflicted.

"I'm so sorry," she said, fighting tears.

"It's okay!" Wally insisted before Kaldur could speak, "The doc said it was only a minor injury. And Atlanteans have tougher skin than humans so there's nothing for you to worry about." He stopped speaking with Dick jabbed him in the abdomen. Kagome seemed to ignore him and continued to stare at Kaldur's chest.

"Kagome?" Kaldur asked the silent girl.

"Do you trust me?" she abruptly asked.

"Pardon?"

She looked up to him and repeated her question. "Do you trust me?"

Kaldur nodded. "Of course I do."

Kagome slowly lifted her hands and placed them flat on his chest, directly above his wounds. Kaldur flinched but didn't move away from her. She closed her eyes as her energy began to manifest in tendrils of faint, shimmering pink. Kaldur shuddered when he felt the warm energy engulf his torso and spread through every inch of his body. It was nothing like the intense burning sensation he felt the night before. This feeling was warm and welcoming, and he eagerly accepted it.

The other two boys watched in amazement as Kaldur's wounds rapidly healed, the blisters shrinking until they disappeared and his skin mending and returning to their normal color. When she was finished, Kagome pulled her hands away.

Kaldur took several deep breaths once Kagome's gentle touch was gone to compose himself. Slowly, he reached out and grabbed her hand, extremely pleased when she didn't pull away.

"Kagome," he began, "you said that we could ask you something, correct?"

She nodded. "I did."

"There are many things I want to know," he stated, "That all three of us want to know, but there's only one I will ask. Will you join us?"

Kagome took a deep breath and withdrew her hand from Kaldur's grasp with a quick jerk. "I can't, and I'd appreciate it if you don't contact me anymore."

Kaldur stepped back and nodded. "We understand."

Without another word, Kagome turned and left, leaving the three boys alone.

"So that's it? It's over?" Wally interrupted the uncomfortable silence that began to settle.

"Looks like it," Dick said. He looked over at Kaldur who was still in the same spot Kagome left him.

"You okay?"

He nodded and regained his composure. "Let's start preparing our report. We have a lot of work to do."

-O0o0O-

"Nee-chan?" Sota questioned once he and Kagome stepped off the bus and walked toward the manor.

When Kagome stepped out of the hotel room, she didn't say a word to him. He had to rush to catch up to her at the elevator before she left him completely. Her expression was as still as stone, a very frightening look for him to see on his sister's face. Something happened, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what until he built up the courage to ask.

"What is it?" she replied.

"Are you okay?" he asked, "What did you talk about?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm not going to see them again," Kagome cryptically answered.

"What do you mean?" Sota pressed, not sure how to feel about the admission.

"Exactly what I said. It's for the best."

Sota stopped just before the two of them reached the door. Kagome also paused and looked back at him.

"Sota?"

"If what you say is true," he said, voice cracking, "then why are you crying?"

"What are you talking about?" Kagome tentatively asked. She reached up and placed her fingertips underneath her eye, feeling hot tears welling in the corner and slipping down her cheeks. Stunned, she pulled her hand away.

"You didn't want to leave," Sota accused her, his tone soft and gentle, "You wanted to go with them, didn't you?"

Kagome violently shook her head and opened the door to the manor. "It doesn't matter anymore. I already walked away from them, and there's no point in going back. I need to forget what happened, and go on with a normal life."

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

Kagome looked up to see Bruce Wayne standing in the hallway, looking much more imposing than she remembered. Sota wisely chose to go to his room, trusting the older man to get through to his sister in his place.

"Kagome, I'd like to speak with you if you'd allow it," he said.

"Very well," Kagome responded and followed him into the drawing room. They both took a seat in an armchair facing each other.

"Do you have an idea of what I want to discuss with you?" Wayne asked.

"Somewhat," Kagome answered, "I already spoke to Sesshomaru and Shippo then Kaldur-kun and everyone else." Frankly, she had enough of speaking about this topic for one day.

"I see. Kagome, do you want to know why I decided to pursue you for this team?"

Kagome shrugged and waited for Wayne to answer.

"Sesshomaru sought me out and told me about your past and what you've been through. All of it, despite my experience, was difficult to accept, but I managed," he began, "He told me that he took you in because he wanted to create a better life for you. You're someone who worked so hard for so long and received so little recognition for doing something truly remarkable."

"I don't need to be recognized," Kagome insisted, "I didn't do what I did for something as petty as that. I did it because it was my responsibility."

Wayne smiled. "He told me you'd say that."

"If that's so then why do you think I'd join your team?" Kagome countered.

Wayne sighed and leaned closer the obstinate girl.

"When I look at you, I see someone who bore a great burden and continues to suffer in silence, not wanting to be a burden to those around her. However, this sacrifice causes everyone around you to suffer as well.

"Sesshomaru wants to do everything he can to give you what you need, and, after everything that's happened, so do I. He willingly did what others would view as impossible to ensure your happiness. If you join the Team you'll have access to that. You'll be with others just like you and find the fulfillment you want with them."

"And what do you get in return? There must be something else you get out of this deal other than me seeing as you don't know my whole story," Kagome asked, both her tone and eyes cold.

"Could it be more information on the  _Makai_?  _Yōkai_ don't interfere with humans and value their secrecy. They aren't as forthcoming with the knowledge of their existence like other species are."

Wayne chuckled, making Kagome frown. "That is true, but not the main goal of this exchange."

"Well then, thank you for speaking with me, but I already refused the invitation," Kagome stated, "And I would appreciate it if you and the others did not contact me again. I'm sick of everyone insisting they know what's best for me and I don't."

Wayne nodded and handed her a business card from his jacket pocket.

"I understand, but keep this in case you want to reconsider. The Team will always have a place for you."

After Wayne left, Kagome slouched in her seat and lazily looked at the business card. All of Wayne's contact information was printed on it as clear as day.

'Are they right?' she thought, 'Is this really something I want?'

She shook her head and stood, crumbling the card in her hand before walking to her bedroom. There was a lot on her mind, but, nonetheless, she planned on going to school in the morning unencumbered by her thoughts.

-O0o0O-

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> punkish_furball – Yes, let the angst flow through you. This chapter was a particular hard hurdle for me to write through, and I hope you've enjoyed it.
> 
> Until next time, TCB! X3
> 
> (edited 08.24.2013)


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> punkish_furball – Howdy, folks! X3
> 
> Words to Ponder:
> 
> Thank you for reviewing from F F . n e t: The Path of Supreme Conquest, kakashixangela, redangel2463, Molly Grace 16, Jayne, HalfBlackWolfDemon, fallingyuki, Mistra Rose, wolfYLady-MistressWolf-sama, ShiTsukisan, koryandrs, Aloever, Dark Inu Fan, JoWashington, Yuzuki Kuchiki, Bishonen'sFoxyMiko, Fanfic Fan, Lachriel, BerserkMoon, Lunar Mist, Shadow Wolf 15846, MyworldMyimagination, Sognatori's Last Dragon, Greatazuredragon, DemonicPrincess2, anonymous chick, gabi, Shi no mo no tenshi, YunaNeko, Tanoshii Shurui, rspringb, Lunardragon33, Gabi, WhiteRose-Kurama (2x), dxlmao, GreenDrkness, random, lolistarkiller, dragonlily22, Sunrise moon 2, and KaeterinaRomanov! X3
> 
> Thank you for commenting from A O 3 . o r g: Beautiful Phantom, nyura, and Ayeilin! And also thank everyone for your kudos! XD
> 
> Shameless plug time! I recently posted my first collaborated work with Nozume, an InuYasha/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover called The Crow's Last Cry, and updated my InuYasha/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover, Just a Little Kiss. Check them out if you have the time! I'd appreciate it. And to those on A O 3 . o r g, I am slowly but surely migrating to this site. I'd give it about another month or two (or twelve...).

**Chapter 6**

_**Tuesday, June 22, 2010** _

Kagome sighed as she tried to focus on her schoolwork. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to care about balancing equations and what made an aldehyde different from a ketone. Her mind was still occupied with events that seemed to occur so long ago, and her life was slowly becoming hindered by those thoughts. She groaned as her head fell forward onto her desk.

_How long is this going to last?_

As soon as Wayne returned to wherever he came from with the young heroes in tow, all conversation about the Justice League and the Team came to an abrupt end as though they were never in Japan at all. Every day after came and went as it did before. Kagome went to school, ate her daily meals in the dining room with her family, picked up Sota from practice after school, and continued her training with Sesshomaru and Shippo. Kaldur, Wally, and Dick made no attempts to contact her after they left just as she requested and simply faded into the background. Kagome absolutely hated it and didn't know why.

 _This is exactly what I asked for. What I wanted all along_ , she thought,  _Why do I feel like this?_

Kagome pushed herself away from her desk and stood. Only pausing to grab a thin jacket, she left the mansion without announcing her departure. Her destination was unknown, but she continued walking. Wherever she ended up, she thought it would help her make some sense of her feelings and what they meant.

Her feet eventually brought her to the familiar shores of Miho no Matsubara beach. Kagome hoped the peaceful scenery would help clear her mind as it always did before, but she was plagued with fleeting visions of exactly what she was trying to forget. She saw herself with Kaldur speaking softly to each other as they walked side by side through the tide. She, Dick, and Wally were sitting with their feet buried in the surf as they built lumpy mounds of sand and drew scribbles on the ground with their fingertips. In every image, she was happy, more than content with their company.

 _I miss them_ , she finally admitted, but being happy wasn't enough to uproot her life and go off to save the world again.

Kagome kneeled down in the wet sands and picked up a stray twig. Within seconds, she drew a crude chart on the ground with two empty columns. Ignoring her feelings and continuing with her normal routine hasn't worked, so maybe laying it all out once and for all would yield better results.

"Let's see," she mused aloud, "The pros of not joining the Team…"

First and foremost, Kagome could remain in Shizuoka living comfortably with her family and friends within the city and her mother and grandfather in Tokyo. She would also be free to pursue a normal life. She could finish high school and go onto college. With how much her grades improved after she started school again, she could enroll in any university she wanted with a little help from Sesshomaru's bank account. Kagome could get a real career and have normal relationships that would lead to her getting married and starting a family of her own. A family that wouldn't be in constant danger by the life she would lead as an active heroine.

Kagome continued listing reasons to support the decision she made, making a mark in the sand for each one. By the time she finished, there were over a dozen marks filling up that column.

"That's done. Let's move on to the cons," Kagome said before she began the process again.

She could certainly do more good in the human world as a member of the superhero group than what she was doing now against otherworldly attacks beyond the scope of  _Makai_. She was an immensely powerful  _miko_ , but Sesshomaru and all of the other powerful  _yōkai_  and active wielders of  _reiki_  sustained the balance between the two worlds long before she reappeared. They were more than capable of monitoring the barrier without her, but their knowledge on mutant and alien creatures was seriously lacking. Other than the academics Shippo mentioned before, most demons did not see the merit in studying and understanding these beings. The recent incident with the Black Mantis gang put her on edge, but even that didn't give her enough motivation to call Wayne and reverse her decision.

By the time she finished the diagram, there were only three marks in that column. It was easy to tell with the side by side comparison that she made the right choice. She had far too much to lose if she ran off and joined the Team.

Kagome blew up her bangs as she furiously scratched out the chart and tossed the stick away. No matter how many marks she made tallying up her convictions opposed to her doubts, she still felt like she made the wrong decision.

She didn't jump when she felt the demonic presence suddenly approach her from behind and take a seat beside her.

"There's a famous Noh drama set here, ya know," Shippo said, his tone light and conversational. When Kagome didn't comment, he continued. He knew she was listening.

"It's called  _Hagoromo_. Some fishermen in the area find the discarded celestial feather robe of a beautiful  _tennyo_  and take it. When she approaches them to ask for it back, one of the fishermen named Hakuryō agreed to return it after she told him she would not be able to return home to heaven without it. In exchange, he asked to see her perform her celestial dance, and the  _tennyo_ agreed with no hesitation.

"Even though Hakuryō understood by the  _tennyo's_ plight, he was still skeptical and believed she would flee as soon as he returned her robe. To assuage her worries, the  _tennyo_ said that all doubts were earthbound and assured him deceit did not exist in the heavens.

"So, after Hakuryō gave her the robe, the  _tennyo_  performed her dance of the Celestial Palace of the Moon just as she promised before disappearing beyond the peak of Mount Fuji in the mist never to return."

"Nice story," Kagome uttered. She always enjoyed Noh Theater, but she doubted Shippo summarized this play just to cheer her up.

"It is," he agreed, "All things considered."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The play is based on an old folktale. In the original story, a man intentionally steals and hides the celestial robe, ultimately condemning the  _tennyo_ to remain on Earth and forcing her to become his wife.

"That version of the story is very popular, and there are variations of it in other cultures. Birds known for their grace and beauty like doves and swans that take the form of lovely human women after they remove their skin of feathers are the chosen shape shifters in a lot of stories. There are also tales of creatures called selkies from Scottish folklore whose true form is that of a seal, she-wolves in Croatia, and buffalo maidens in African countries.

"The husband always manages to keep the robe hidden from his animal bride, and they live together like any other married couple. That is until their children are old enough to sneak around and figure out why their beloved mother weeps at night away from anyone who could see. They search their home and inevitably discover where their father hides their mother's true skin. Then, like all good children who love their mother dearly, they return it to her so that they can stop her tears. She takes her skin and leaves her family without looking back. With no intentions to return ever again. It's a tragic fate shared by nearly everyone involved in the story, but good old Hakuryō avoided all that because he listened to the  _tennyo_ and allowed her to return where she belonged instead of selfishly forcing her to stay."

Kagome snorted and said, "Again, nice story. What's your point?"

Shippo grinned. "Come on, Kaa-san. You know it's not that easy, right? Put a little effort into it."

Kagome sighed and fell back on the sand not minding the moist grains clinging to her clothes and hair.

"If you're trying to make some parallels between my life and that play, it isn't going to work. I'm hardly an angel caught running around in the buff on the beach after she stopped by Earth for a field trip."

"Who says I'm making parallels?" Shippo countered, "I just thought hearing a classic Japanese drama would distract you for a while. I noticed you've been a very confusing place lately."

"I'm still there, and I have no idea why." Kagome rolled over on her side, so she could see the ocean. The visions were still there, but she couldn't bring herself to look away.

"If they didn't take my feathers, and I'm free to fly home, why aren't I happy to be where I belong?"

"This is where you belong?"

"Of course it is. Where else would home be?"

Shippo said nothing as he laid down next to Kagome with his chest against her back and his arm comfortably draped over her stomach. Kagome closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. The only sounds she could hear were the waves crashing against the shoreline and the even pattern of Shippo's heartbeat. Her question remained unanswered.

-O0o0O-

Silent and thoughtful, Kaldur sat on the shores of Happy Harbor. It was nothing compared to the beach he saw in Shizuoka, but he often found himself wandering out here after he, Robin, and Wally returned to the states. He closed his eyes and tuned out his surroundings, focusing on the waves hitting the sand banks, ever shifting and turbulent like his thoughts.

By all intents and purposes, Kaldur shouldn't be so preoccupied. All of the loose ends were taken care of, they returned to their base, and the mission was officially closed. Even so, Kaldur couldn't let this mission and the girl he met because of it go.

Before they left Japan for good, Kaldur briefly considered going to speak to Kagome in a final effort to convince her to reconsider her decision. A quick glance at his teammates confirmed he wasn't the only one with that idea. Ultimately, no one followed through with it. No matter how much they didn't like it, they wordlessly decided to honor Kagome's wishes and not approach her again.

_It certainly does not make it any easier to accept it._

The more Kaldur thought about it—intentionally or otherwise—the more he realized he didn't know much about Kagome. The information was practically irrelevant, but he still wanted to know more about her. How did she meet Sesshomaru? Why was she so dear to him and everyone else in his inner circle? What exactly were her powers? When and how did she learn of them? How many people knew she had them?

Kaldur frowned when he considered that last question. Based on what he learned about the surface world from his mentor and his personal experience, he imagined there weren't many who did. That was one thing he didn't like about the established social hierarchy on the surface. Individuals with powers like Kagome were ostracized and ridiculed for their gifts, regarded as no more than freaks and outcasts. The only exception was if their abilities were used for someone's benefit whether it was for justice, crime, or curiosity, and even that had its limitations. Kagome would not be fully accepted by her own kind for what she was and what she was capable of.

It wasn't like that at all in Atlantis. Magic like Kagome's would be respected even if it made her different from land dwellers or Atlanteans like himself. Her power was as much a part of her as her long raven hair, her clear blue eyes, and her kind, gentle smile. Her unique skills would be nurtured and encouraged to grow alongside those of her peers. There was nothing to accept because there was nothing wrong with her. Kagome could freely be Kagome, and Kagome was okay, much more than okay. She was perfect.

Unbidden, the thought of bringing Kagome to see his undersea home entered Kaldur's mind. He was sure she'd love it in Atlantis much like he enjoyed being with her in Shizuoka.

Chuckling bitterly, Kaldur shook his head. No matter what, Kagome was out of his reach. Even if she wasn't, modern technology only allowed non-Atlanteans to withstand underwater conditions for a short time. Bringing Kagome to his home was nothing more than an errant daydream.

For all Kaldur didn't know about Kagome, there were a few important things he was aware of. He knew her family and friends meant a great deal to her, so much that she would do everything she could to protect them. She was a compassionate and loving girl who trusted others easily. Once given, her loyalty did not waver, but that made the sting of betrayal hurt even worse.

Kagome was also impulsive and heavily influenced by her emotions, a wildcard who rushed into battle with no plan or strategy. In addition to that, they didn't know the complete scope of her powers making her all the more unpredictable, a loose cannon the Team did not need.

_Even so…_

"Kaldur?"

He looked up to see M'gann standing next to him, concern written all over her green freckled face. Kaldur grinned; it was touching.

"Hello, M'gann. You were looking for me?" he asked.

"Yup!" she answered, speaking as cheerfully as she always did, "It's not about anything official. I just thought it would be nice to talk to you since you rarely stay at the Cave with me and Superboy. I should have known that if I wanted to find you, I had to start looking closest to the water."

M'gann subsequently stiffened as she panicked and blurted out, "I'm sorry! Was that offensive was it?"

Kaldur laughed as he shook his head. "Not at all. Besides, your assumption turned out to be true enough."

"Right," she replied, still somewhat sheepish, "So did anything happen while you were away with Robin and Wally? Anything you can officially tell me that is."

After a few seconds of thought, Kaldur shrugged and decided there was no harm in telling M'gann about the situation with Kagome as long as he was discreet. A female's insight might provide an interesting outlook.

"I met a girl," he decided to say.

M'gann girlishly squealed and plopped down in the sand next to him, eager to begin this conversation. Her team leader was soft spoken and kind, but Kaldur was a bit too aloof for the Martian's liking. Like all of her friends and teammates on Earth, M'gann wanted him to be more open with her. The fact that he met a girl he liked and wanted to share it was much more than she hoped for.  

"That is wonderful, Kaldur!" she cried, "Tell me everything about her! What's her name? What is she like? How did you meet her? Don't leave anything out!"

Kaldur smiled at M'gann's enthusiasm before he began to speak.

"Her name is Kagome," he answered, "We met because her guardian is an associate of Batman's alternate persona. She's a very sweet girl who showed me and the others around her home while we were in Japan."

"Kagome," M'gann repeated, "I've never heard a name like that before. I like it! But you have to tell me more than that! What does she look like? Is she pretty?"

"Yes, she is very lovely. She's slender with a creamy pale complexion, long raven hair, big bright blue eyes, and the most beautiful smile."

M'gann was beaming from ear to ear. As Kaldur spoke, his expression softened and small smile appeared on his face. She was sure he wasn't even aware of it. Just the thought of this girl made him content. 

"Oh, she sounds just perfect!"

"She is very unique. I spent a lot of my time with her in Shizuoka, her home."

"Sounds like you really like her," M'gann gushed with a giddy grin. It faltered when Kaldur's expression grew somber. A second ago, he was so happy, but the emotion disappeared  instantaneously. She didn't understand. 

 _He likes her_ , she mused,  _I'm sure he does! So why would he react like this?_

"I do," he finally replied, "We all do. But I don't believe we will ever see her again."

"Really? Didn't you exchange numbers or something? You can still keep in touch with her without telling her about  _you-know-what_."

"I know, but that's not the issue. Kagome and I didn't exactly part on the best terms. I doubt she'll want me to contact her again."

"Kaldur," M'gann began, her tone soft and understanding, "if this girl means as much to you as I think she does, you have to give it a try. You won't know what will happen for sure until you do. Who knows? Maybe after everything that's happened, Kagome misses you as much as you miss her."

Kaldur's lips briefly quirked upward. Perhaps Kagome did think of them fondly. It was a comforting thought no matter how unlikely it was.

 _It's only another daydream_ , he decided.

"Kaldur?" she asked when he didn't respond, "Are you alright?"

"I am. Thank you for coming to speak to me, M'gann. I appreciate it."

"No problem. I'm always here if you need to talk."

M'gann continued sitting beside the Atlantean teen until she playfully smacked herself in the forehead.

"Hello, Megan! What am I doing? You probably want some time by yourself, huh?"

She stood and brushed the sand from her skirt.

"I'll see you inside, okay?"

Kaldur nodded as she walked away. "Thank you again, M'gann."

When he was alone once more, Kaldur stood to his feet and waded into the surf. He closed his eyes when the sea breeze picked up and gently bathed his skin.

" _Come play with me!"_

Kaldur's eyes snapped opened as he turned around, looking for the owner of the phantom voice he heard. Although there was absolutely no possibility of seeing Kagome beside him, Kaldur was still disappointed when she wasn't standing there. With a grim expression, he looked back at the setting sun. He wondered how long it would be before his memories of Shizuoka truly faded.

" _Kaldur-kun…"_

" _I'm so sorry."_

He also wondered if he truly wanted to lose them at all.

-O0o0O-

Kagome sighed as she changed into her boys' uniform. A meeting with her homeroom teacher this afternoon put her behind schedule. He was concerned that her grades were slipping and her overall attitude toward academics diminished significantly. He suggested she get involved with a school club to boost her morale particularly the  _kyūdo_ club.

With thinly veiled indifference, Kagome told him outright she had no desire to join any school team, and, if her academic performance was becoming such an issue, he should take his concerns up with Sesshomaru. She wasn't sure if it was shock from her reply or fear of her guardian that kept him silent, but she was able to leave the teacher's staff room without reprimand.

Her teacher wasn't the only one on the receiving end of Kagome's verbal lashings. She knew her behavior was childish, but she couldn't help it. Her temper shortened considerably after her day at the beach with Shippo. She questioned herself and her decision more than ever, agonizing over every detail for hours on end. All she wanted to do was burrow into her bed sheets and wallow in self-pity. Unfortunately, Sesshomaru had zero tolerance for laziness and forced her from her bedroom despite how miserable she was.

At first, Kagome was able to feign her usual cheerful temperament except she kept to herself and her peers when spoken to. After a few days, she grew tired of keeping up appearances and, to be frank, became a real bitch when anyone provoked her.

 _I just don't fit in here anymore,_  she thought as she stuffed her regular uniform into her backpack. When she stood and saw herself in the mirror, she frowned at her reflection. Her eyes were rimmed with dark circles and began to sink into her face. Her hair was dull and flat, and her skin was pale. She snorted a chuckle at her appearance. What a drab, dismal creature she was.

_Or maybe I never fit in, and I've just realized it._

Kagome shook her head before she gathered her hair into a low ponytail and stepped out of the bathroom.

"I'll be back at the usual time, Obaa-san," she called out as she walked to the exit.

"Alright, dear," the older woman replied, her nose buried in her manga, "I'll have some sweets ready when you come back. I also think you and I need to have a little heart-to-heart chat."

Kagome paused and looked over at her. "Really? What about?"

The old woman snorted as she closed her comic and placed it on the counter. "Don't give me that bull. My eyesight may have diminished with my old age, but I can clearly see you are not okay and you have not been okay for a long time."

Kagome sighed and turned around, reclining against the glass door.

"You're right," she said, folding her arms over her chest, "Lately, I just don't know if I'm where I should be. And, if I'm not, where is the place that I belong?"

The shopkeeper smiled and leaned forward on the counter with her elbows bent and her head resting on her open palms.

"Dear, the answer to that question isn't one that comes easily, and that's life. Its experience, changes, new people, and new places. You might not know if Shizuoka is where you belong, but you'll never be absolutely sure if it's all you ever know. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"I think so," she replied with a single nod, "There is somewhere else I could be right now, but I'm afraid I already passed up that opportunity. There's no going back. It's over."

"So what?"

"So what? I can't just change my mind, and go back. I made my choice, and I have to honor it. Besides…"

She trailed off thinking of Kaldur's sickening burnt flesh and the horrified looks on his, Wally's, and Dick's faces.

"…I just can't go back."

"Come on, dear. That's not you. You've never been so  _weak_."

"And just what do you know about me?" Kagome countered, angrily narrowing her eyes.

Obaa-san tilted her head back and laughed, her belly shaking with the force of her guffaws.

"That's it, my dear! Kagome, you make a tough young man and an even tougher young lady. Don't you dare lie down without putting up a fight! Do exactly what you want."

Kagome's eyes widened before she slowly began to laugh. She was so angry at that woman's gall and now her heart felt so light and free. Maybe, after all this time, the solution was that simple.

_Not even InuYasha could stop me from doing what I wanted to do. It seems pretty to let myself stop me._

"You're right," she finally stated, "You know, almost everyone I speak to told me a version of what you just said, but it didn't really start to sink in until just now."

"Not a problem, dear," Obaa-san said. She paused to reach under the counter and pull a paper bag she slid in Kagome's direction.

"Take these now. I have a feeling you need to go straight home and do some tall thinking."

Kagome smiled and approached the counter to slip the bag of  _mochi_ in her backpack.

"Thanks for everything, Obaa-san. On the off chance I don't see you again, you make the best  _ohagi_  on the block and give the best advice in the region."

"You flatter me! In that case, you are the prettiest thing I've seen outside of my manga collection with a right hook that rivals Hokuto Akira's."

"Really?" Kagome uttered, " _Shojo_  manga I can understand, but pro wrestling?"

"Let me finish," she interjected, "Make sure you have that brother of yours stop by to see me once in a while. And, if you really find yourself in a pinch, cock that hip to the side and bat those eyelashes of yours a few times. You'll be out of trouble in no time!"

"What are you trying to say?" Kagome asked, grinning.

"Come on, dear," the old woman said with a roll of her eyes, "One of the main reasons a girl, especially one as pretty as you are, gets in a fix like this is a man, and I seem to recall three very handsome young men who were very happy to be in your company not so long ago."

"Obaa-san, you have the uncanny ability to know pretty much everything," Kagome responded with a thoughtful hum. Obaa-san didn't notice and simply continued talking.

"Hey, you don't get to be this old by not paying attention. You either pick these things up or end up six feet under before your thirties."

"You do have a point. Until I see you again, goodbye, Obaa-san."

"So long, dear. You'll find where you belong. A kid like you will do great no matter what."

Kagome politely bowed before she turned and approached the door. When she placed her hand on the knob, she looked back at the shop owner wearing a crooked grin.

"Need anything else, dear?" she asked.

Kagome scoffed and stepped wary from the doorway. "Cut the crap, Shi-chan. You think I don't know my own grand-kit when I see him?"

In a sudden puff of white smoke, the stout woman was replaced with a good-looking boy in his early teens with rich chocolate eyes and auburn hair cut short barely hiding two triangle shaped ears. His features were sharp with an elflike beauty but still childishly round with his youth. He bashfully bent his head and peek at Kagome from underneath his lashes.

"I wuv you, grandma," he mumbled cutely.

Kagome smirked with her hands on her hips. "Too wittle, too wate."

He sighed and hopped over the counter with his hands in the pockets of his apron. "How long do you know it was me?"

"Shigeru, puh-lease! Your father made better illusions than that when he could still ride on my shoulder. You think with all that age and experience you boast about, you could be a little more convincing."

"I'm just 158," he retorted with a pout, "It takes a lot of skill to fool a priestess of your caliber, and I only have three tails thank you very much."

"Excuses, excuses," Kagome said as she chuckled and walked back to her grand-kit.

When she was close enough, the fox half demon put his head in her hands cooing happily as she stroked his ears. Kagome grinned as she stroked the velvety soft appendages. As old as he was, Shigeru was Shippo and Rin's youngest child, unmated with the apparent age of a teenager around 14 years old. She didn't have any favorites amongst their children, but most of them moved out and had families of their own. Though she loved them all dearly but disrupting their lives just because she felt a little lonely wasn't an option. As young as he was, Shigeru didn't have such obligations, so he got most of her attention to the ire of his parents and older siblings. He also had a bedroom at Sesshomaru's home but usually stayed at his parents' house. Lately, he was scare around the manor, and it was clear why he was.

"Did Shippo put you up to this?" she inquired.

"Not at first," he clarified, sheepish, "It was the only way to be with you without Mom and Pop hogging you all the time. When Pop found out about it, he told me to keep an eye on you after you began your little cross dressing habit. But the advice was all me. I just want you to be happy."

He paused and deviously added, "And give me a few aunts and uncles to spoil me."

Kagome giggled and pressed a kiss to his forehead before she pulled away.

"Tell you what, I'll put that idea on hold until you're able to give me some great grand-kits, so they can all grow up together."

Shigeru grinned and kissed Kagome's cheek before pulling her into a tight hug. He was still an adolescent but still a few inches taller than her.

"It's a deal. I love you, grandma."

"Love you too, Shi-chan," she replied, lingering in his arms for a while before slowly pulling away.

"Now that that's over and done with, I really need to go pick up Sota." Kagome eyed her adoptive grandson, thoughtful.

"Promise me you'll look after him while I'm gone, okay? I doubt anything's going to happen with the Black Mantis out of commission, but, if word got out that I'm leaving the city…"

Shigeru nodded. "No problem! Just leave everything to me, but, before you go, I gotta know one thing. What really gave me away? I may be between tails, but I'm still pretty damn good at my spells."

Kagome hummed, pursing her lips together in thought.

"Let's see. Ever since I found this place, I noticed that I'm your only customer who you never charge for anything yet you still manage to keep the lights on in this place. What little inventory you have expired months ago. And your  _ohagi_  which is absolute divine—"

"Thank you!" he interjected wearing a cheeky grin.

"—is without a doubt courtesy of one ornery old toad that looks after the both of us and, for some reason, puts both of our mothers' cooking to shame."

Shigeru sighed, muttering that his mother's meals could be outdone by anyone who could properly use a microwave.

"It was cheaper to make Jaken do it for me than to order in by the dozen. Besides, since the creation of the metal stove, he practically eats, sleeps, and breathes in the kitchen. He'd shower there too if he didn't care about maintaining his precious sanitary workspace."

Shigeru grabbed Kagome's hand and started to lead her outside once he put his human disguise in place. The two of them walked on the sidewalk to Sota's practice field.

"The only good part about being found out is that I can finally close this place and move all my manga back home."

"Put it off until tomorrow," Kagome suggested, "You can walk home with me and Sota then join us for a family dinner. Rin and Shippo are probably hanging around, and Jaken always cooks more than enough for all of us."

Shigeru's humanoid ears twitched. "Gramps will be there too?"

"Yup. Sesshomaru's workload is pretty light these days, so he'll be able to join us." Kagome paused.

"Hopefully, I'll be able to speak with him afterward."

"You sure you wanna go through with this?" Shigeru asked, "Go home and call up those geeks in tights so you can move to America to do whatever it is superheroes do?"

"I'll never know where I belong if this is all I ever know," she paraphrased with a smirk, "But that doesn't mean I won't be coming back."

Shigeru grinned and grabbed Kagome's forearm with both hands, lovingly rubbing his cheek against her shoulder.

"In that case, bring me back presents!" he declared, "Much, much more than Mom and Pop!"

Kagome shook her head but let the kit lean on her. She only sighed when a group of school girls passed them, blushing and whispering behind their petite hands.

"I resent that!" Shigeru huffed, "I think we  _do_  make a cute couple, Grandma."

"If you say so," she replied with a shrug, "I just disagree with one thing."

"What is that?"

"I may be shorter than you, but  _you're_  the one holding onto my arm while you're wearing a lace apron. I'd say that obviously makes me  _seme_ and you the  _uke_."

When the odd family pair arrived to the practice field and collected the youngest Higurashi, Sota immediately noticed the change in his sister as she stood before him, casually joking with his coach and his teammates' parents. Her actions were complete genuine, not forced as they had been before. The dark cloud of uncertainty that hovered around her dispersed and her shoulders were no longer slumped—excluding the one that Shigeru clung to. She appeared calm and composed, but Sota could sense the excitement and anticipation bubbling just below the surface, the joy and confidence laced with just a twinge of fear. Sota smiled bitterly, lost in his own thoughts. He saw Kagome like this enough times to know what would happen next. She was exactly like this the day Sesshomaru came to the shrine and every time just before she jumped through the well.

_She's going to leave again._

"Sota?" Kagome called out, "We're almost home, and you haven't' said a word. Is something wrong?"

"Kagome?" he uttered, his voice low and thoughtful.

"Yes?"

Sota tried to say something meaningful and profound. Something his dear sister would always remember and would let her know that it was okay that she wanted to leave again. He understood and wanted her to be happy.

"What are you going to wear?" he finally blurted out.

"Huh?" Kagome mumbled, confused, "Run that by me again?"

Sota cleared his throat and averted his eyes, embarrassed. That wasn't quite what he wanted to say, but he wasn't going to let Kagome or Shigeru know!

"Don't look at me like that. It's a perfectly legitimate question."

"How do you figure?" Shigeru questioned

"Well, Batman and Superman don't run around in spandex and brightly colored undies for the heck of it. A superhero's outfit is their identity!"

"Sota—" Kagome started to say, but he interrupted.

"It's something you have to pick out before you leave," he explained, "You can't exactly show up in your school uniform like you did when you went through the well."

Kagome was shocked. She didn't think she was that transparent.

"So you can tell, huh?" she asked, timid.

Sota grinned. "You couldn't be more obvious."

Kagome playfully rolled her eyes. Sota was always an observant child. At least he was when it came to her.

"Are you joking?" Shigeru exclaimed, pulling away from Kagome's side, "Grandma's uniform is perfect. The mini skirt is always the Magical Girl's outfit of choice!"

"Are  _you_ joking?" Sota countered, "She's not in  _Sailor Moon_! What kind of armor value does a skirt have? Kagome needs to wear something that'll give her more protection."

"Like what? A full suit of armor? That's not cute at all!" he protested, "Besides, while  _Sailor Moon_  is a classic favorite of the genre, my go-to Magical Girl series is a toss-up between _Tokyo Mew Mew_  and  _Shugo Chara_." Shigeru's eyes widened, and he grinned as he came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea.

"You can have more than one outfit, right? Oh, I have ideas!"

"Guys—" Kagome attempted to butt in, but Sota cut her off.

"Lay off the girly comics already!"

"As if your manga collection is any better than mine!"

Kagome sighed and continued on the walkway to the front door of the manor. As soon as she heard the word "cat suit", she tuned out the rest of their conversation and opened the door to enter the house. Shippo waiting was in the foyer when she walked in.

"I thought I smelled that son of mine better know was 'Obaa-san'," he teased with a wink.

"You do know, if you and Rin were a little less stingy, he could come around more often as himself," she half-heartedly scolded.

The overgrown kit pouted and linked his arms around Kagome's neck, resting his head on her shoulder.

"All's fair in love and war. We do whatever it takes to come out on top even if it puts father against son!"

Kagome snorted and walked further into the entryway with the  _kitsune_ hanging of her neck.

"Whatever, drama queen," she remarked, "By the way, have you seen Sesshomaru around?" I want to talk to him. As soon as I can."

"About?"

Kagome grinned. "I have some travel arrangements I need help with."

Shippo's expression sobered and his hold on her neck subtlety tightened. "So that's what those two are going on about. You've finally decided to go, eh?"

"I thought you'd be happy for me."

"I am," he insisted, "but that doesn't mean I won't miss you, Mom. It seems like I just got you back and now you're moving clear across the world."

"I know," Kagome said, her tone bittersweet, "but I can always come back. I still have feathers."

Shippo lifted his head to press a kiss to her cheek. "Sounds good to me. I'll help you pack. Seems to me like you're gonna need it."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Between my son and your brother, you'll end up leaving this house looking like you stepped out right off the pages of a manga series. You're going to be a superhero not cosplaying for an anime convention." He thoughtfully paused.

"Admittedly, there isn't much of a visible distinction between the two, but you get the idea."

Kagome rolled her eyes, realizing her talk with Sesshomaru would have to wait. The three boys clearly wanted her full, undivided attention for as long as possible before she left no matter how obnoxious their efforts were.

_Who am I kidding? I want exactly the same thing._

Kagome loudly clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, gentlemen. Let's hurry up and get this over with. If my vote counts for anything, I say I could always war my trusty  _gakuran_."

"No way! If we're going the school uniform route, its sailor  _fuku_  all the way," Shigeru said.

"I already said she needs something that provides a better defense!" Sota argued.

"But the sailor  _fuku_  has a certain sense of nostalgia to it," Shippo said with a nod and turned to Kagome.

"You really were a sight traipsing all over the countryside in that mini skirt. If it weren't for InuYasha, you would have been ravished and mated several times over, Mom."

"Shippo!" Kagome cried, "Don't say things like that in front of them!"

He shrugged. "It's only the truth."

"I know," she replied, "But it's not the kind of thing you blurt out in front of my kid brother and my grandson!"

"It's all the more reason to nix the skirt idea," Sota quipped.

"Agreed," Shigeru added, "I already have enough trouble getting Grandma's attention around here. If she moves to America, attracts some guy,  _and_  gets married  _and_ gets pregnant, I will cease to exist!"

"Should that happen, I'll remember you fondly," Kagome remarked, her expression schooled in indifference.

"Grandma!"

"Oh, calm down, you silly kit," Kagome gently admonished as she took a step toward him. Shigeru was quick to nuzzle into her open arms, dropping his illusion to contently wag his tail.

"The likely hood of me finding a husband while I'm away is slim to none," she continued, "Justice always trumps romance in that situation."

"I wouldn't be so sure. If you remember our shard hunting days, you'll know that love always finds a way," Shippo mentioned, "And, since we're on the topic, I put my vote in for Mr. Wally West."

"What?" Kagome shouted, mortified, "Why would you even say something like that?"

"Grandma, ears," Shigeru reminded her with a grimace. She cooed and hummed as she petted his ears in a silent apology.

"But what's wrong with West?" Shippo asked, "He's a reasonable attractive redhead with bright green eyes not to mention as much of a trickster as a human can be. He's as close as I can get to you marrying a red  _kitsune_  like me without setting you up with another fox."

After the occurrence of what was unofficially dubbed the "Kurama incident", any and all foxes were barred from approaching the  _miko_ without very official clearance. Shippo and Sesshomaru strictly enforced that rule.

"I thought you didn't want me to be ravished and mated," Kagome retorted.

"If it's him, I can choke down the vomit long enough to get out my blessing," Shippo replied, "Besides, it'll increase the chances of you giving me some siblings that look like me!"

"Human genetics doesn't quite work that way. I don't offhand remember any gingers in my family tree," Kagome said, deadpanned.

"Meaningless details," Shippo dismissed with a wave of his hand.

Shigeru wrinkled his nose. "It's not enough to look like a fox, you have to act like one too. Grandma's future mate has to be the devious type, and West seems a little too slow. I personally put my money on Grayson. The younger ones are always tricksters!"

"I'm not hearing this!" Kagome said as she hurriedly pushed her grand-kit away, "I do not need you giving me advice on men!"

Sota scoffed. "Come on, Kagome. You don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to guys."

"If you can even call it that," Shippo added.

"I've had relationships with men before," Kagome insisted.

"Accidental proposals and constant kidnappings do not count as relationships," he told her, "The only exception to the rule is Koga. He's the only man I know who can get away with calling another female his woman in front of his mate."

Kagome grinned as she thought of the wolf. He was still crazy about her but in a totally different way than before. After she left, he finally gave Ayame a chance, and the two of them mated happily with a whole litter of unruly cubs to prove it. They reconnected soon after Sesshomaru moved her to Shizuoka, and, after he and Ayame tried to convince her to leave the overgrown anal mutt, Koga appointed himself as another one of her protectors since she still was a member of his pack. Apparently in the modern era, that title included screening potenital males in her life even more so than Sesshomaru and Shippo did. The last time she saw how overprotective the wolf was happened during the "Kurama indicent". Luckily, Ayame was around to keep him in line, but only so she could push Kagome on one of her grandchildren or younger sons. Kagome loved the pack as much as she did everyone else in her extended family but didn't see herself officially marrying into it anytime soon. Still, seeing Koga argue with his sons about who had the right to call her "his woman" was a hoot.

"Okay, so the list gets pretty short when you take off every guy who's ever thrown me over his shoulder and carted me off," she begrudgingly admitted, "but does that mean I have to have my baby brother, my son, and my grandson plan my romantic future?"

"Yes," they answered in unison.

"So I guess that means you're rooting for Kaldur-kun, right?" Kagome asked, looking at Sota.

"Not really," he answered with a shrug, "He's a nice guy and all, but I just want you to be happy whether you're parading around in brightly colored spandex or dating a mutant accident of science."

Kagome approached and put her arm around Sota's neck, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you for understanding," she said as she kissed the crown of his head.

"But I think we can all agree on absolutely no spandex."

"Agreed."

-O0o0O-

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> punkish_furball – I hope you all enjoyed it. After the last, angst filled chapters, I thought something more lighthearted was in order. I'm also quire proud of Shigeru. He was created on accident, but I thought one of Shippo and Rin's kids deserved a little screen time. He'll definitely be back in other chapters!
> 
> Until next time, TCB! X3
> 
> (revised 03.12.15)


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